Ultimate Betrayal
by mandabella
Summary: Hermione-turns-evil fic, but I promise it's really good. My reviewers told me so :) HGDM. Voldemort reigns, but he's not in it much. Lots of drama, romance and humor. Lots of Blaise, but NOT becoming a BH story.
1. 1

Harry and Ginny thought they were so good together. Well what about her? Didn't they even care about her anymore? Ginny. Ginny had been her best friend, and she knew how Hermione felt about Harry. Dammit, she knew! How could she do this to her? Harry, she might be able to forgive Harry in time. Harry had no idea how she truly felt about him; she'd never told him for fear he didn't love her back. And now she knew. He didn't. He loved Ginny.

Hermione's blood boiled again, at the thought of Ginny's betrayal. She told Ginny absolutely everything. About her crush, and later her full-blown love for Harry. Ginny had been supportive, or so it seemed. She told Hermione to go for it, do whatever it took to be happy. Yeah, right. Ginny TOOK what it took to make her happy. And she was flaunting it in her face. No, Ginny could not be forgiven.

It was the summer before the trio's sixth year at Hogwarts. Ginny's fifth. Ugh, Ginny.

Voldemort was still out there. He was in hiding. The whole wizarding community knew the truth at last. A new Minister of Magic had been named, but it wasn't Albus Dumbledore. Oh, he'd been asked, that's for sure, but Albus Dumbledore had too much on his plate right now to lead the ministry. He decided he must remain headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and of course retain his position with the Order. The Order was of the utmost importance now, and everyone lived, breathed and well, lived for the Order. Even through her own agonzing heartbreak, Hermione knew her first loyalty would always be to the Order. And to Harry. Even though it hurt her to much, even to look at Harry right now. But Harry didn't know. She couldn't hate him; he just didn't know.

Ginny on the other hand... When Voldemort finally fell, Hermione would be able to fully concentrate on the destruction of one Ginny Weasley. But, as always, Hermione must prioritize. Her muggle parents had been appaled at the thought of Hermione staying at Grimauld Place for the summer. But with the persuasion of Minerva McGonagall, they finally realized it was really for Hermione's saftey that she must stay there. It wasn't safe for her to be away from the Aurors, and other members of the Order right now, not since she'd exhibited such loyalty to Harry Potter in the past. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was obviously a target for Voldemort and the other Death Eaters. And so were the people closest to him. If Harry could be taken out, there would be nothing stopping the Dark Lord's return to power. No, she would just not be safe at home with her parents. Though she missed them terribly, she knew that it was the right thing to do. Of course, a few weeks ago, when she'd asked Professor McGonagall for help with her parents, she'd not only had the Order in mind. It would give her plenty of time to be close to Harry. Ginny had finally convinced her that it was now or never to tell him about her true feelings. Hermione knew that being at Grimauld Place would offer them plenty of alone time. While they were full blown members of the Order now, Molly Weasley still felt that the "children," as she still called them, needed to still be children, as much as possible, so they were not in on a lot of the meetings. The most important ones, of course, but not many of the daily ones. At least once a week they were allowed to attend recap meetings, where Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, MadEye Moody, and almost all of the other members of the Order attended, to strategize, compare notes, decide next steps, and so forth.

Hermione's eyes shut tight, as a few tears slipped out, while she remembered Ginny's lame attempt at an apology:

She'd finally decided. It really was the time. Ginny had fished for some information from Harry, which, while extremely juvinile, had seemed to have worked. Ginny said she thought Harry was definitely interested in a relationship with Hermione. More than friendship.

Hermione gathered up all her courage, and marched up to Harry's bedchambers. Harry had taken over on Sirius' old room, saying he felt closer to him there. Hermione straightend out her skirt and smoothed down her hair. She'd even blow dried it straight, which was really quite a pain in the ass, but it gave her more confidence, which she greatly needed, if she were ever to tell Harry how she felt about him. She reached up slowly, still terrified, but excited all the same, to knock on Harry's door. She noticed it was slightly ajar, and couldn't help but to peek. She loved to watch Harry when he didn't know she was looking. Most of the time, she'd cover, if he'd noticed her watching, saying something about how he needed to study that last bit some more, or she was looking at something over his shoulder.

But what she saw now, she'd never forget, as long as she lived. Harry was in there, alright, but he wasn't alone. No, not alone at all. He was in a liplock. With none other than Ginny. Hermione's best friend. At least, she used to be. Hermione's breath caught in her throat, and she must have gasped, though she really didn't remember doing so, because she caught the attention of Ginny, who broke away quickly from Harry's embrace.

Ginny's eyes widened so large, Hermione thought they might fall out of her head. Then Hermione thought only one thing. "Traitor," she said quietly, yet firmly. Her fists balled at her sides, and Hermione saw red. Red bloody hair on the girl kissing the love of HER life. Hermione suddenly turned, and ran blindly away. She would NOT let Ginny see her cry. Ginny was the enemy now. Never let your enemies see your weakness. They'd just take advantage of it. Ginny seemed to be a pro at taking advantage of Hermione, and her trust.

Hermione flung herself into her own room, and locked the door. Unfortunatly, she shared the room with Ginny, who was able to Alohamora the door open. "Hermione, I-"

"Shut up!" Hermione spat at her. It was too late, Ginny had seen the tears falling. "You have NO right to talk to me again. Get out. GET OUT!" she roared, pointing at the door.

"Hermione, no! I have to explain! It's not like you think!"

"No?" Hermione yelled. "Tell me how it's not! How is YOU kissing Harry not what it seems? How is it that YOU, supposedly MY best FRIEND, kissing the man I love, with your scrawny arms wrapped around him, not what it seems? Get the hell out, Ginny. Out of my room, and out of my life." Hermione grabbed her wand and pointed it at Ginny. Although she didn't say a spell, Ginny was flung against the door. She slid down it, and started to cry.

"But Hermione, please, just let me explain! I thought my feelings for Harry were gone, but they're not! I'm sorry! I know I told you over and over that it was just a silly little girl crush that I USED to have on Harry, but Hermione, when I went to tell him that you were going to ask him to talk alone, he said he needed to talk to me first! Hermy, he told me he loved me!" Ginny stopped, cowering on the floor. She knew she'd said too much.

"What the hell difference was that supposed to make?" Hermione screamed. "You told me you didn't care about him that way! You told me you thought of him like another brother, for fuck's sake! You knew how I felt about him, and you kissed him anyway? Well, Ginny, I certainly hope he's worth it, because you've just lost the only friend you've ever had." With that, Hermione turned her back on Ginny. She stared out the window, until she heard Ginny get up and leave. Ginny was crying. But that wouldn't change Hermione's mind. She didn't care if Ginny was hurting, she was hurting too. And it was Ginny's fault. When she was sure Ginny was gone, Hermione let the tears fall freely. She raged, she destroyed pillows, she broke glass, she threw her shoes. When she was finally done raging, she wept quietly.

That was two days ago. Apparently, Ginny wasn't having any trouble getting over practically killing her former best friend, because she and Harry were holding hands and laughing, like there wasn't a care in the world. Well, screw them. Hermione turned around on her chair, facing away from them.

Harry had noticed this, and went to talk to Hermione. Ginny slipped out the other door, knowing that Hermione would rage again. She'd begged Harry not to talk to Hermione just yet, to give her some more time, but Harry, the upstanding guy that he was, couldn't stand the thought of hurting Hermione anymore and needed to get things straight. He loved her so much, but not the way she needed to be loved by him.

"Hermione, can we talk?"

Hermione sniffled, ignoring him.

Harry sighed, and sat down on the bench next to her. She stiffened, but didnt' flee. They said in silence for a few moments, and then Harry reached out to her. He put his hand on her knee, and said, "Hermione, I'm really sorry about this. I never meant to hurt you. I had no idea you felt that way. When Ginny-" Hermione flinched hearing that name, but Harry continued, "-was asking me all those questions, about did I care for a certain someone, did I think about kissing anyone, I thought she meant herself."

Hermione tried to stand and run, didn't want Harry to see her cry. Harry grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back. "Hermione, I'm sorry!" he shouted. Then again, softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"But she did." It was whispered so quietly, Harry wasn't sure he'd actually heard it. He pulled Hermione into a hug, and stroked her hair.

"Shh.." he said, holding her. She was quietly sobbing into his chest. Realizing what she was doing, she sat up straight, and said, "Harry, I can't bloody help it, I love you. I'm in love with you, and I have been for years. You're the only one for me Harry." She looked into his eyes, and leaned forward. She touched her lips on his, and he jerked away.

"Harry-"

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry asked her.

"I thought, you...but, I just..." Hermione was horrified. He really didn't love her.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but I love Ginny. I've loved her for a few months now, and when she came to me two days ago, I couldn't stop again. I had to kiss her. And she was pissed, at first. She told me no, she couldn't do it, and it was ME, Hermione! It was me! I told her I loved her, and I kissed her again. She broke it off, and said she couldn't do this, and I asked her why, and she mumbled a bit, and got all flustered, and then she threw herself on me again and said, 'Dammit, Harry, I love you back, I love you back, okay?' and then we kissed again, and then that's when you came in." He paused for a second, not daring to look at Hermione's face. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I hope you can understand. I can't stop loving her, and she loves me too. We're so lucky to have figured it all out, I wish you could be happy for us..." He trailed off. He finally got brave enough to look at her, and immediately wished he could disappear. He'd never seen Hermione so irate.

Her breath got a bit faster, and her fists clenched again. She snarled at him, and opened her mouth several times, but nothing came out. She stood up, at her full height, and grabbed Harry's shirt. She yanked him up to standing, too, and even though he was about six inches taller than her, she pulled back and punched him in the gut. She pulled back again and punched him in the face.

"Fuck you, Harry Potter. Fuck you." She turned and stalked off.

Harry sat there, on the bench, dumbstruck. He didn't realize he'd hurt her that badly.

Hermione ran outside, and then went around the house to the back yard. She wanted to scream. She wanted to yell. She wanted to rage again, but couldn't let Harry and Ginny have the satisfaction of seeing her like that again, even if they were inside. Harry had probably gone running to Ginny, telling her how Hermione freaked out and went postal on him. They were probably looking out the window at her right now. Well, fuck them. Let them look. They wouldn't see her lose her cool again. She sat down under a shady tree, hoping that if they were looking, the branches and leaves would block their view of her. Finally, she let the tears fall silently. Her shoulders heaved, and he body shook, but she remained silent. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she froze. She sniffled, wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve, and bucked up. It was probably Harry again, trying to be all noble, and fix her. Dammit, why did she still love him? She closed her eyes tight, hoping whoever it was would get the point and go away. No luck. She felt a body close to her, sit down on the grass beside her.

She opened her eyes and turned, "Would you just go-" She stopped when she saw who it was. Remus. He'd insisted that she call him that now, since he wasn't her teacher anymore, and they were both members of the Order. "Professor" or "sir," or "Lupin" for that matter, just didn't work anymore. So now it was Remus.

"Remus, leave me alone." She tried to get up but he pulled her back down.

"Hermione, I know what's happened. I'm sorry. I can only tell you, it will get better. It'll hurt less with time."

"No it won't! How is betrayal supposed to just stop hurting? Harry, I almost forgave him, until that crap he pulled a few minutes ago, but Ginny? How can I ever forgive her? The little bitch! She knew! She knew...she knew she knew..." Hermione was now sobbing again, and leaned on Lupin. He wrapped his arms around her for comfort, and held her for a few minutes, until she was out of tears. Slowly, she lifted her head. Her eyes were bright blue now, from the tears, and she looked so hurt and confused. Remus brushed the hair away from her face. Hermione straightened up. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay. I've been where you are, Hermione. Cry till you can't cry anymore. And then cry again. But I promise, it WILL get better."

Hermione stared at him for a moment, and then, without warning, she flung herself onto him. She held his face in her hands and kissed him hard, as if there were no tomorrow. A very surprised Remus' eyes popped wide open, and as soon as he realized what she was doing, he pushed her off.

"Hermione! Stop!"

"No, I don't want to stop, it hurts to stop," she was still grasping onto him, kissing whatever she could reach, as he was trying to pry her off of him. "Make me forget him, Remus, make me forget Harry." She was trying to push his clothes off of him now.

"Hermione, NO!" Remus yelled. Hermione froze, eyes wide. Realization sunk in, and Hermione suddnely knew what she had been doing. She jumped up and ran, ran as fast as she could. She kept running. She knew she was outside of Grimauld Place's protective charms now, but she just didn't care. She was humiliated. Humiliated by Ginny, by Harry, and now by herself. How could she have kissed him? He was twice her age! He was her professor, for God's sake! And she threw herself desperately at him! And how the hell could she have ever trusted Ginny Weasley? That little skank, that whore. How could she have trusted any of them? No one cared about her, they only cared about Harry, and his happiness. Afterall, he was the Boy Who Lived. The one to fulfill the prophecy. The only one that could kill Voldemort. Why would any of them care about her?


	2. 2

She stopped running, and trudged along slowly. She couldn't go back now. She couldn't face Remus again. Not after that. And she sure as hell couldn't face Harry. It was beginning to get dark, and storm clouds were rolling in. The trees around her were getting closer together, but she kept walking. Moonlight illuminated her way, she kept going, but to where, she didn't know. A cloud passed over the moon, making everything black.

"Lumos." She pulled out her wand, and held it like muggles held flashlights. What the hell was she going to do now? She had comptely humiliated herself, and for what? For a lousy guy. And the outcome of his betrayal, was that she would be changed forever.

She stopped, and looked around. She found herself in front of a cabin. Should she knock? She had no idea where she was, only knew she could never go back. Never go back to Harry, to Hogwarts, or to Grimauld Place, ever again. She was standing outside, debating on whether or not to knock, when the door opened.

"Who's there?" a voice called. "Show yourself!" A beam of light came from the person's hand, landing on Hermione's face. She held up an arm to block the light from her eyes.

"I'm lost," she said. "I..I can't find my way home." Home, she thought. That was a laugh. She didn't have a home anymore.

"Come closer," said the voice. That voice. She recognized it. But from where? As she cautiously approached, she realized that voice belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy. "Hermione? What are you doing out here? Don't you know you shouldn't be alone? Go now, and I won't report you. Go!"

"I... I don't have anywhere to go!" Hermione cried desperately.

"Go back to your Potter," Draco spat.

"No," Hermione said. "Never again. Harry Potter is a traitor."

Draco liked the sound of this. He held the door open, and Hermione stepped in. In to Draco's little corner of the world.

Hermione stepped into the cabin, looking around. It wasn't much bigger than Hagrid's hut at Hogwarts. Hagrid. Someone else she'd never see again. She shivered.

"Cold?" Draco pointed his wand at the fireplace, and a fire appeared.

"Why are you being nice to me? Going to trick me, so you can feed me to the Death Eaters?"

"Why are you wandering around in woods frequented by Death Eaters?" He asked in the same tone. He looked Hermione over. She looked awful. Well, no, she looked incredible. She was still petite, but she had filled out, in all the right places. Her hair was a mess, but then, it always was. She was dirty, and the hem of her skirt was pulling. The hem of her very short skirt...showing off very shapely legs. Snap out of it, Malfoy! he chided himself. She's the enemy! She's in the Order of the Phoenix, you're a Death Eater, hello! Reality check!

Draco shook his head to clear his thoughts. "You better go now. The others will be here soon. I don't want to have to hurt you, Hermione. Just go. I won't tell anyone I saw you."

"I don't have anywhere to go," she hung her head.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, but you have to go. We're enemies." He looked at her. She really was beautiful. Wasn't that just like fate, to show him what he'd been missing all along, and then take it away again. He closed his eyes. "Go."

In a strong voice that surprised only herself, she said, "Harry Potter is my only enemy now. Can I stay with you?"

Several minutes later, Hermione was huddled by the fire. Draco handed her a cup of hot liquid. It tasted awful.

"Sorry, I know it's bad." He shrugged.

"No, it's fine," Hermione said, looking up at him. Her face, it was so beautiful in the firelight. How could he have not seen it before?

As she looked up at him, she noticed his eyes. They were gorgeous. Why didn't she ever think that before? She'd know him for six years. For six years, they had been the enemies. Now, well, she didn't know what they were now.

He squatted down near her. "They'll be back soon. What are you going to do? They'll want to take you prisoner."

"Not if I join you." The simple statement startled Draco.

He shook his head. "Excuse me?"

"I'll join you." She stood up, throwing off the blanket that had been around her shoulders. "What have I been wasting the last five years of my life on? Harry Fucking Potter. I've helped him, and followed him like a damn puppy. Well no more. My loyalties lie with myself now. And I don't want to fight 'the good fight' anymore, Draco. Let me stay. I'll become a Death Eater, too."

During this, Draco had risen to stand face to face with her. Once scrawny, Draco was no a good three or four inches taller than her, and drop dead gorgeous. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you saying, Hermione?"

"You heard me. Administer the oath, Draco. I'm one of you." She held out her arm, ready to take the Dark Mark.

"I can't do that."

"Just do it, Draco! I know what I want!"

"No, I mean, I personally can't. No one can but the Dark Lord."

"Then take me to him."

"No. The others will be back soon. My father is with them. He won't beleive you. He'll think you a spy. Especially after Severus bloody Snape turned on us."

"Well, if it's any consolation, we didn't want him on our side, either." She cracked a small grin. He smiled back. Then he walked to the table and pulled out some parchment and a quill. He began scribbling down something, then rolled it up and attachted it to an owl's leg.

"Are you sure about this, Hermione? You really want to be on the dark side?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, there's no turning back now." He lifted the owl, who took off through the window. "I've sent him ahead to my father. He'll bring a draught. Similar to veritiserum. It'll make you tell us where your loyalties lie. If you pass, we'll take you to receive the mark."

"Good," she grinned.

"You'll excuse me if I'm having a bit of trouble believing you. You've hated me since we were ten."

"Well I'm not ten anymore, Draco. I'm almost seventeen." She slowly walked toward him. "Old enough to think for myself." Another step. "Old enough to make my own decisions." Another step. "Old enough to..." She trailed off. She was toe to toe with him now. She looked at him oddly for a moment, and then her lips were on his. She couldn't hold him close enough. His hands made their way up her body to her hair, where they fisted. He pulled her head back, and she gasped. He looked at her momentarily, then plunged upon her neck. A moan of pleasure escaped her lips, and she grinded her body against his. He came back up for her mouth again, and she dug her fingers into his shoulders.

"Ah, and isn't this lovely," said a sarcastic voice from the doorway. The two jumped apart. Hermione looked nervous. Draco stepped forward. He noticed a satchel on the man's belt. "Ah, Father. I see you got my owl. Meet the newest Death Eater."


	3. 3

"It is done." The cloaked figure turned away from the rest, retreating to his chambers.

Voldemort himself had put the Dark Mark on Hermione. She looked down at her forearm, to the new 'tattoo.' Energy shot through her body, she'd never felt so alive. She turned to Draco and smiled. She was where she belonged now. And nothing would change that. Not Harry Potter, for sure.

"A celebration, I believe, is in order, no?" Asked Lucius Malfoy. He waved his wand, and a feast appeared. It was even more extravagant than the start of term feast at Hogwarts.

The Death Eaters, other than Draco and Hermione, went to the tables and started to eat. "Are you sure you aren't upset that our elves did all this?" Draco smirked at her.

"Screw the elves, it's their bloody job, isn't it?" Draco took her hand and led her to the feast.

"Hermione, what, may I ask, brought you to us?" asked a tall man with brown hair.

"I just figured out this is where I belong. This is who I was meant to be. I'm not Harry Potter's little groupie anymore."

"And does Harry Potter know this?" asked a raspy voice. Everyone turned toward it, and immediately bowed. The Dark Lord had decided to join the feast. He sat at the head of the table, and slowly everyone looked up at him.

"No, no my lord. Potter has no idea that I've turned. That I've come here. I can't wait to see the look on his face, though." She bit her tongue. She didn't know if she was allowed to say so much to Voldemort. She fidgeted her hands underneath the table, hoping she hadn't angered him. She lifted her head slightly and dared to take a glance at him. She was much relieved to see him smiling.

"That will have to wait. I've plans for you, Granger. You'll return to the Order in the morning."

Hermione gasped, but didn't speak.

"You have become our newest spy. I dare say, I won't have to remind you what happened to the last one that betrayed me?"

Hermione shook her head. She knew that her old professor, Snape, had been cursed with cruciatus several times over, and was now at St Mungo's, sharing a ward with the Longbottoms. "I won't fail you, my lord," she bowed to him.

She, Draco and several of the other Death Eaters, including Lucius, returned to the cabin for the night. They stayed up for hours, plotting the downfall of a certain Harry Potter. Hermione had never felt this much excitement, devotion to a cause. Certainly not to the Order, and not to SPEW, and especially not to Harry.

The meeting broke up, and most of the Death Eaters returned to their homes for the evening. Only Lucius, Draco and Hermione were left. "I'll see you at the next meeting, son. Keep me posted until then. Hermione." He tipped his hat at her, and went into the night.

Hermione released a happy sigh.

"Tell me what you're thinking," Draco said.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" she asked slyly.

Draco closed his eyes and concentrated. He penetrated her mind, and was utterly shocked at what he 'heard.' His eyes snapped open, and he looked at her surprised.

"You heard me." Hermione said. She lowered herself to the rug in front of the fire. Draco cautiously went to her, and lowered himself as well. She reached out for him, and he jumped slightly.

"Draco, don't tell me you're afraid of me? Don't worry, you won't get Potter germs," she laughed. "Thank God I never slept with him."

"It's not that, but hallelujah to that," Draco said.

"Than what?" Hermione gently coaxed.

"I've just...never... yeah."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Neither have I," she said, as she unbuttoned her blouse. Draco quickly stood, much to Hermione's dismay. He looked down at her, and then held out a hand. She reached for him, and he pulled her up. Silently, he led her to a bedchamber at the back of the cabin.

Standing in the doorway, Hermione hesitated for a moment.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"Do Death Eaters make love?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the bed.


	4. 4

They made love several times that night. Neither wanted the night to end, and both dreaded the morning. Hermione would have to return to Grimauld Place then. Since she wasn't Secret Keeper for the Order, she couldn't let the Death Eaters know where to find Harry Potter. So she would just have to go back there herself, and pretend to apologize, pretend to forgive, and pretend to be their friend.

"Are you sure you can do it?" Draco asked, returning to their bed with food and drink.

"Hell yes, I can do it! After what they did to me, they deserve it! Now, I already sit in on lots of the meetings, but Molly Weasley won't let me in on all. I'll have to find a way. It shouldn't be that hard." She took a long drink of her water and reached to put it on the table. She wasn't even self conscious with Draco, like she was with Harry. She didn't bother to hold the sheet up to her naked body. By now, Draco knew every inch of her. As she turned back for setting down her goblet, she was pleasantly surprised to find Draco right in front of her.

"Let's strategize later. We've got our own business to attend to right now." He kissed her softly, and they were both occupied for the better part of an hour.

In the wee hours of the morning, Draco reached out for her, but she was gone. The sun was about to rise, and dawn shed pale light into the room. He looked around and saw her in the corner, looking out the window.

"Hermione, what is it?"

"I'll have to leave soon. At least I'll have a cover as to why I'm so sleepy," she smiled at him. "They'll think I was out wandering all night. I'll have the whole day to rest, and be alert for the evening's meeting. Dumbledore will be at this one," she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, how I wish we could attack tonight, then!" Draco's eyes lit up.

"I know, baby, but there's just no way I can lead you guys there. We've been through it already."

"I know, I know."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "That'll be my father. He's going to apparate you back to London, and then you'll have to find your way back to the Order on your own."

"At least I don't have to walk all that way again! I can't wait until I learn to apparate!"

"I've heard it's not that hard," he said, opening the door.

"Hello, Father."

"Draco. Hermione, are you ready?"

"Yes, sir." She turned to Draco. She wanted to kiss him goodbye, but thought better of it, since his own father was right there.

"Oh, bloody hell, I'll turn around so you can have a little goodbye snog!"

They all laughed and then Draco and Hermione parted. She stepped into Lucius' embrace, and took one last look at Draco. She softly touched her fingers to her lips, and held her fingers toward him. Then she was gone.

A mintue later, Lucius was back. "Have you fallen for her, son?"

"Is it that obvious, Father? I know it's stupid, but what am I to do?"

Lucius shrugged. "Go with it, I guess."

Inwardly, Draco smiled. He said he didn't need his father's approval, but he really did. He was sure that Lucius' regard for Hermione was high, since she renounced her muggle life at the induction ceremony, becoming a full-fledged Death Eater. No one would ever again call her a Mudblood.

"Thank you, Father. Shall we go to the meeting?"

Hermione was standing outside number twelve Grimauld Place. She looked herself over, checking that her appearance was disheveled. Then she remembered her hair. Draco had taught her a little charm to tame her hair. She must always look her best for the Dark Lord. Touching her fingertips to her sleek, shiny hair, she hesitated a second, then shook her hands through her hair, messing it up as much as she could. But only for this morning. She hit up Sirius' library later, and pretend she found out about the charm herself. She didn't bother to knock. She had to pretend that she still felt this was her temporary home, until September came, and she returned to Hogwarts. She couldn't wait till then. She had thought of many uses for the Room of Requirement for her and Draco.

She entered the house and made for the kitchen. Molly Weasley there, cooking. The woman was always cooking. Hermione supposed it was her way of dealing with the stress. She momentarily felt a twinge of guilt, but that was quickly washed away when Harry entered the room. Hermione had not been spotted yet, and Molly had giving Harry a hug and then a plate of toast, which he took to the table. Hermione's blood boiled again. Of course, Molly's devotion was to Harry. As she thought his name, he looked up, and his eyes met hers.

"Hermione!" Harry said, startled.

"Hermione? Dear girl, come over here!" Molly put down the mixing bowls and rushed over to her. She started fussing with Hermione's hair. "Dear, where were you? Why did you run off like that? We were so worried! We had patrols out looking for your all night! They're out now! Harry, go call off the search. Hermione, dear, you must be starved! Sit, sit, have some breakfast!" She practically forced Hermione to sit, and kept shoving food at her. Hermione pretended to be grateful for the attention, when really she was struggling to keep her hatred hidden. "Hermione, tell me what happened." The poor old witch had concern in her eyes, and Hermione almost cringed, until she remembered that if it ever came down to herself and Harry, Molly Weasley would choose him in a heartbeat.

"I just, I had to get away. I'm sure Ginny told you what happened." Hermione hung her head, ashamed.

"Yes, dear, she did," Molly sat next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Honey, I wish that didn't have to happen to you. They'e both been torn up about it. The last thing they wanted was to hurt you."

"Mrs. Weasley, I don't want to talk about it right now. What about Remus? Where is he?"

Molly was annoyed that Hermione was now calling her Mrs. Weasley instead of Molly, but she supposed she understood the awkwardness now between them. She'd just have to work extra hard to show Hermione she loved her like a daughter.

"Remus is out with several others right now, on search duty. They should all be arriving back very soon. I'm sure Harry has gotten word to them by now."

"Did Remus...say anything about...me?" She asked.

"Just that he talked to you after the fight with Harry, and you ran off upset. He didn't give me details, if that's what you're worried about."

Thank goodness! Or Evil, rather, Hermione thought. She would have less humilation to deal with since Lupin had kept their forced kiss secret. Just then, the search party entered.

"Hermione!" Tonks rushed over to her and hugged her tight. "Thank heavens you're alright! We were all so worried about you!" Hermione feigned a smile, but when Tonks pulled back, the smile became real. Her hair was today in a jet black bee hive, with red tendrils. Her eyes were blue today, too. Hermione always got a kick out of Tonks. It'd be a shame to turn her over to the Death Eaters, but, afterall, Tonks literally worshipped the ground Harry walked on, so Hermione was sure that Tonks was thrilled with Harry and Ginny's relationship. Thankfully, they were nowhere to be seen. She'd have to practice some more, her forgiveness act. She was still irate with them, even though she'd discovered her new destiny.

"I'm find, Tonks, really. I just needed to be alone."

Tonks nodded sympathetically. It made Hermione sick. "I know honey. You come talk to me later, if you want. I've been there."

Just then, Remus came in. His gaze met Hermione's, and he blushed. At least no one else noticed. Hermione quickly finished her breakast and excused herself. "It's been a very long night," she said. "I'd really like to get a bath, and some rest."

"Of course, dear." Molly smiled kindly at her. "Why don't you take the third room on the right?"

"That's probably a good idea," said Hermione. At least they hadn't expected her to still stay with Ginny, the little bitch.

When Hermione got to her room, she put her personal Alohamora charm on the door, the one only the occupant of the room could open. The room was dark, and she intended on keeping it that way. She stood on her tiptoes and stretched. It had been a long eighteen hours. A life changing eighteen hours.

"So where were you?"

Hermione jumped at the voice, scared. She flipped on a light, and sighed relief when she saw Remus sitting in a chair in the corner. She apparently hadn't noticed him leave the kitchen. Then she got mad.

"How dare you sneak into my room? What if I'd have started to change clothes, or -"

"Didn't seem to bother you yesterday."

She glared at him. No, he would not be easy to fool. But she'd do it.

"Get out of here."

"I can't, you've locked me in. Hermione, I think we should talk about yesterday. No, no, not the kiss!" he said at her noticable objection. "The part before that. Hermione, I know you feel like your world has crumbled, and that you'll never be able to love again, but I promise you, it will get better. Like I said, I've been there."

Curiosity got the better of her. She sat down on the bed, no longer embarassed, and said, "Who was she?"

"Lily."

"Lily Potter!?" Hermione asked, incredulous.

"Yes. Before she was with James, she was with me. We spent a lot of time together, both being prefects and all. You know how that is. I fell so in love with her, I couldn't think of anything but her. But I actually told her. I'd been in love with her for about a year, and one night, in the prefects lounge, she was doing her homework, and her hair fell over her shoulder. I couldn't stop myself, I reached out and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled at me, and I was so sure she loved me back. I looked into her eyes, and said, 'Lily, I can't keep it to myself anymore. I love you, Lily.'

"She looked at me like I was crazy. 'Oh Remus,'" he said in a falsetto, batting his eyelashes, trying to bring humor to the situation, "'I didn't know you felt that way about me.' She got all stuttery, and the next thing I knew, I was kissing her. She pulled back, and freaked out, basically. Then she told me how she was in love with James, my best friend. How they'd been secretly seeing each other for months, not telling anyone because keeping it secret made it more fun. Fun my ass. I was never so embarassed or humiliated in my whole life." He fell silent, looking out the window. "I still love her, though."

Hermione walked over to him and sat down on the chair beside him. She put an arm around him, and said, "I guess you really do know how I fell then. Did you do something stupid, like I did to you yesterday?"

"No, not like that. The only stupid thing I ever did was never get over her." He shook himself back to reality. "But, it doesn't hurt so much now. Probaby because I don't have to see her happy with James. But, Hermione, I'd give anything, anything at all, to see her right now. I wouldn't even care if she was wtih James. If she were only alive, -" He stopped himself. "Sorry. Guess I'm not really the best one to give you advice on this."

"So, you never got over her? You never fell in love again?" Hermione said sadly. She knew from experience how great it was to be in love. Real love. Not what she thought was love for Harry. She shivered at the thought, that she'd really fallen in love in one night, changed her destiny forever. She was a DEATH EATER now, for crying out loud.

"Did you,. did you ever do anything to get back at them? Lily and James, I mean?"

"No. Thought about it plenty, though. I knew the best thing for me would be to get over her, move on and fall for someone else. But come on, how many women really want to love a werewolf? I have to disappear once a month, I get moody, I get snappy, and I can't even have kids."

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

"Because they'd be werewolves, too. That wouldn't really be fair now, would it?"

"I guess not." She stood up, realizing she'd been very close to him. "Remus, is there anyone you fancy right now?"

"Well, yeah..kinda. But with all that's going on now, it's just not the time to try a relationship."

A dark cloud came over Hermione. "Well it sure as hell isn't stopping THEM," she spat. The mood was broken, no more bonding with Lupin. She was getting too soft toward him anyway.

"I guess that means you want me to go?" asked Remus.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Hermione flicked her wand at the door, and it slid open.

As Remus was walking out, he whispered to her, "I'm on your side, Hermione."


	5. 5

Three days had passed since Hermione returned to Grimauld Place, and three days since she'd seen Draco. She'd carefully avoided Harry and Ginny, and everyone was sympathetic. Annoyingly sympathetic. If anyone should feel sorry, it should be Hermione pitying those fools for blindly following Harry Potter. Harry bloody Potter, going to rescue the damn world from Voldemort. As Harry and Dumbledore never failed to mention, Harry was the key to Voldemort's death. Or rather, Voldemort was the key to Harry's. Hermione knew that the prophecy said that Voldemort was the only one who could kill Harry. But it wouldn't stop Hermione from trying, when the time came. And she'd kill that little twit Ginny, too.

Hermione was waiting in a shopping center. She, Draco, Lucius and Bronwyn were meeting up to discuss the changes. She looked up, and saw Draco coming toward her. She got giddy and excited, but held back. Lucius might approve, but there was no reason to be all sappy in front of other Death Eaters. Lucius was different, he was Draco's dad, of course he wanted Draco to be happy. They all slipped into an alley and Bronwyn pulled out his wand and did a privacy charm. No muggles, or members of the Order, for that matter, would be able to see or hear them. This was a nice little charm, Hermione thought, one she'd like to learn.

I'll teach it to you, she heard Draco's voice in her head.

But how? she asked back.

We have an unbreakable bond now. You willingly let me into your mind that wonderful night.

But how can I hear you? she said.

You're much more powerful than you know, my love.

Lucius rolled his eyes. He was the only one that noticed the exchange, and was quite glad he didn't hear any of it. "Let's get to it. What have you got, Hermione?"

"There's an attack planned for tomorrow night. Moody and some other Aurors think they found a hideout, in the mountains near Tromsbury."

"How did they find that?" Bronwyn snapped.

They discussed the plans some more, and it was time to part company.

I don't want to leave you! Hermione thought to Draco.

Me neither, but we have to. I love you.

I love you too.

Instead of the embrace they longed to share, they shook hands. Hermione was surprised to see Draco had palmed her a note. She smiled happily at him as he and the others left. She couldn't wait to get alone to read it.

Back in her newly private room at the headquarters, she opened it:

My dearest Hermione,

Please forgive me for entering your mind. No, I haven't done it before without you knowing, but I had to "talk" to you privately during the meeting. I promise never to enter your mind again without you knowing. Hermione, you have so many powers inside you that you don't know about yet. I think you'll be able to get in others' minds, as well. Don't try it with Potter or Dumbledore. Actually, don't try it with anyone in the Order. They will know, as you've never been trained in thought sharing before. You won't be able to have conversations with anyone else, anyway, unless you let them in, like you did with me. I hope that's something only you and I will share. I fear we are too far apart now, to share our thoughts. I only hope you know that I think about you all the time. I love you.

Yours,

Draco

Ah, Hermione sighed. He was really so wonderful. She couldn't even remember what she ever saw in Harry Potter, but now she was going to have to pretend to still care, as he was knocking on her door.

"Go away! I don't want to talk to you!"

"I'm coming in anyway," he said through the door.

Dammit! She'd been in such a hurry to read Draco's letter, she forgot to charm the door! In walked Harry, like he owned the damn place. Well, she supposed, he did, since Sirius died. But that was beside the point.

"You can't just charge in here whenever you damn well please, Potter!" Ooh, she'd have to watch herself. She never called him Potter, only Harry.

"Hermione, I've told you over and over, I'm sorry. And I mean it. But I'm not going to walk on eggshells around you anymore, and Ginny and I aren't going to stop being in love because you're around. We aren't going to flaunt it in your face, Hermione, but we're not holding back from each other, either."

"Get out, you bastard!" Hermione screamed and wandlessly threw Harry against the wall, like she did to Ginny that fateful day. Hermione gasped this time. She hadn't realized she did it to Ginny that day, but she sure as hell knew she did it to Harry just now. Harry was shocked. He pulled himself up off the floor where he'd fallen.

"When the hell did you learn wandless magic?"

"I--I dunno!" Hermione, actually in shock, was glad she was, otherwise she'd have to think fast about explaining her new power. "I've never done that before!"

"The hell you haven't!" Ginny was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking smug. "She did it to me, Harry, that day. She threw me across the room and bruised my shoulder."

"You hurt her?" Harry asked, eyes narrowing.

"Well I didn't mean to! I didn't even realize I did it till now. But to hell with you assholes, you both hurt me way more than being flung into a wall. My pain won't go away when the bruises heal. My bruises will never heal!!" She screamed the last part, and the room shook slightly. All three looked even more surprised.

"Come on, Ginny." Harry put his arm around her. They left together, and Hermione mentally slammed the door.

Dammit! I've got to get a better hold on myself! They're going to suspect soon! No, they'd never suspect.... the old Hermione Granger was a nerdy bookworm, she'd never turn to Dark Arts. They can't possibly suspect I've crossed over.

Downstairs, Harry was telling Albus and MadEye what happened. "The girl must have powers greater than we imagined," Dumbledore said. "They must be getting stronger due to her emotional state. Harry, what did you say to her to upset her so?"

"Uh," Harry said sheepishly, "I kinda told her that Ginny and I were in love, and we wouldn't hide that anymore to save her feelings. I'm sorry, Professor!" he said, noting Dumbledore's stern look. "She was just so mean! I asked her to forgive me, I told her I-we- didn't mean to hurt her, and she still was mad!"

"Did you really expect her to just get over it, because you're happy? You have more growing up to do, Harry," MadEye said, shaking his head and getting up from the table. "I'm going to go talk to her."

Upstairs, Hermione was fuming. Dammit, dammit, dammit! She was going to have to get a better hold on herself. She was pacing the floor, mentally chiding herself for her lack of self control. She heard someone coming. She threw herself into a chair and grabbed a book, any book. Soft knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Moody. Can I come in?"

She had the feeling that he was looking through her door right now. "Um, yes, I suppose you could come in." The door opened. "I'm really not feeling very well. Would you mind keeping this short?" She tried to smile meekly. She was inwardly relieved she'd burnt Draco's letter. With that stupid Kreacher running around, it was hard to tell what he'd do. His allegiances obviously still laid with the late Mrs. Black, and that was fine with Hermione, but if he'd found it, he might have exposed her. Not time for that yet.

"Sure, Hermione, I just wanted to talk to you about your growing powers."

"He told you?" Hermione tried to look embarrased and ashamed. She hung her head. "I-I don't know what came over me, Moody. I-I guess I did it the other day, too, with Ginny. I was so upset, I didn't even realize I did it, but she told me just now, that I did." Tears. "Professor, does this mean I'm evil?" Got him. She put her head in her hands and started to cry.

Moody was a bit uncomfortable, not knowing how to handle teenage girls.

"No, of course not!" he said. "I can do a bit of wandless magic myself," he smiled proudly.

Hermione looked up, making her tears stop. "You can?"

"Well, not a whole lot, but I can move things, like doors and such, and I can do harmless curses. Once I even caused boils to break out over Severus." He stopped, remembering where Severus was now.

"You miss him, don't you?" Hermione asked. "Snape, that is."

"Well, not on a personal level, no. But he was a great asset to the Order." He finally sat down. "He could do a bit of wandless, too."

"Yeah, but he was evil at one time."

"But he came to his senses, and he could do it before that anyway. He could do it when he was your age."

"That's not really doing anything to reassure me, Moody," she said. She knew she'd have him believing her, never doubting her now. "Have you ever been evil?"

"No, not for a minute!" he snapped. "And you're not going to turn evil, either, so stop worrying!"

They were interrupted by a loud crash downstairs. Moody used his magical eye to assess the situation. "It's Ron, he's back!" They both hurried toward the commotion.

Ron was a bit beaten up, his lip was bleeding, and there was a cut on his face.

"Ron, my stars, Ron, are you okay?" Molly rushed to him. "Dear heavens, where's your father? Ronald! Tell me where he is!"

Tears filled Ron's eyes. "They got him, mum. They got him!" He started bawling, as did Molly. Hermione, knowing already, had prepared herself.

"Who got him?" She asked.

"Malfoy. And his dad. They found us when we were staking out that place in the mountains. But they got him!" He cried some more.

"Call everyone together, Moody," Albus said. "Emergency meeting."

Hermione hung her head and started toward the stairs. She never went to emergency meetings.

"Hermione?" said Dumbledore. "Go get the children. You'll all be here for this one."

Hermione nodded her head, and rushed up the stairs to get the others. About bloody time! she thought.


	6. 6

Hermione had talked to Professor Dumbledore for a cloaking charm.

"I just miss them so much!" she pleaded. "I know it's dangerous, but I also know you're the most powerful wizard there is, and I know there's got to be something you can do, even if it will only last a few hours! Please, Professor!" She let a few tears fall from her eyes. "I miss my parents so much." More tears.

"Alas, Hermione, there is but one potion I may be able to concoct. I'll have to send the twins after the ingredients. They won't mind, since they are to be found in Hogsmeade. It's almost time for them to return from their shop, anyway. As you know, they've been cycling, one week at the shop, one week here on duty."

"Oh, Professor, thank you so much! I'll be eternally grateful. Oh, I'm so excited! Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Hermione threw herself at the old wizard, hugging him tightly. She would be seeing her muggle parents, but only long enough to say her goodbyes to them, and to put a charm on them to keep them safe from any of the wizarding wars. Lucius had helped her with the charm. He was becoming a softie when it came to Hermione.

"I shall have it ready one hour from the time I get the ingredients. How about you contact the twins to get a, as you kids call it, fire under their arses?"

"I will, sir, thank you!!" Hermione skipped off to write a letter. She attached it to an owl, and enjoyed a few minutes of silence in the kitchen. She knew it wouldn't last long, it never did in this house. She really didn't expect to be interrupted by Remus, though, and as he walked into the kitchen, she looked up at him.

"How are you today?" she asked him kindly.

"Don't want to talk about it." he said huffily. He reached for something cold to drink, and tried to brush past Hermione. She could tell something was wrong, and felt a kinship to him, since they shared heartbreaks. Too bad he'd have to die, though. She thought a werewolf would make a nice addition to the Death Eaters.

"Remus, please tell me. I'll keep it secret," she said solemnly.

He looked at her intensely. "I can't. Just let it go." He stormed off. A moment later, she heard his door slam. Just then, she heard a herd of people entering the house. She didn't feel up to it, so she hurried up to her room.

She sat in the armchair next to the fireplace, and pulled out a parchment. And a bic pen. How did that get in there? She tossed it into the fireplace. She had planned on sending an encrypted love letter to Draco, but she could hear something coming from the room above. That was Remus' room. She checked the calendar. No, not close to a full moon. What was wrong with him?

Hermione pulled out a nice little gadget the twins had developed. They'd given it to her months ago, and she just now found a use for it. It looked like a ball of silly putty, with a scope on the end. She placed it on the upper inside of the fireplace, and tapped it with her wand. It expanded, and crawled upt he fireplace, to the fireplace in Remus' room. It transmitted a little hologram of its view, and Hermione was not surprised to see Remus' very messy room. It was usually halfway neat, but with his mood, she thought it was fitting he was throwing stuff around. What the hell was going on with him?

"Bloody bastards!" he was yelling. "I'll kill them myself! Beating the hell out of Ron, and killing poor Arthur."

Hermione gasped. He was talking about Lucius and Draco. She kept watching:

Remus yelled some unintelligible words, and sank onto his bed. "And why the hell can't I stop thinking about her?" he whispered softly. Hermione adjusted the volume on the Sneaker. "It's ridiculous, it's absurd. It's unheard of! She's still a child, for pete's sake! Why the hell did she have to kiss me? Why the hell is the only one, that can make me forget Lily, her? Why, Hermione?"

Hermione blushed, and quickly turned off the Sneaker. It retracted, and she put it in a drawer. Professor Lupin, in love with her? Great, as if she didn't have enough to deal with. But how could she really blame the poor guy? He hadn't been in love for over fifteen years, and now that his passion had been reawakened, at least he had good taste. Draco was right, she really was becoming quite beautiful. The charm on her hair was wonderful. She'd never seen such luxurious hair before. And she had nature to thank for the breasts that had finally developed. Even Ginny was jealous of those, and she'd gotten hers quite early. Good. Let the little bitch be jealous.

She realized that Remus was quite calmed down now, she didn't even hear him pacing upstairs. Maybe he could get some sleep. She went back to writing her secret message.

Draco,

I've gotten Dumbledore to make that potion for me. I'll be leaving here as soon as it's finished. I wish I'd have time to see you, too, but I fear that if I'm gone too long, they will come looking for me again. If they discover I'm not at my muggle home, they'll freak. It won't be long, though. We'll be back in school very soon. We'll find plenty of time to be together, then. I miss you so much. I love you.

Hermione

She tapped the scroll with her wand and muttered a spell. The letter immediately took on the appearance of a History of Magic essay. Gotta love that little spell, she smiled. She ran up to the attic to look for an available owl. She instructed the owl on its path and decided it was quite nice that owls couldn't tell their owners about their activities. She hummed happily as she strode downstairs to await the twins arrival with the last of the potion ingredients.

She paused for a second at Remus' door. Should she? she wondered. Why the hell not?

Knock knock. "It's me, Remus, can I come in?"

"Hermione? No, go away!"

She walked in anyway. Remus was still in bed, probably still torturing himself about his feelings for her. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and knew her skirt hitched up, but pretended not to notice, and also not to noticed his eyes were drawn to her exposed thigh. She held out a hand and stroked his cheek. "Thinking about her again?" she asked softly, even though she knew the answer.

"Yeah, the one I love." Remus sighed. He tried not too look at her that way, but it was hard. He sat up, but then realized he was shirtless. He quickly looked around for his discarded clothes, but Hermione put out a hand.

"Don't be modest because of me," she smiled. She was trying to play innocent, but she knew she was driving him crazy. "I've seen shirtless men before." She giggled. "Remy, would you sit by me at dinner? Keep me distracted from the happy lovebirds? Please?"

Remus sighed. Why had she called him Remy, and why had he liked it? "Yes, of course I will. Fred and George will probably grab all the attention, anyway, knowing them."

Hermione laughed. "Yes, I'm sure they will. See you downstairs." She reached over and hugged him, holding it a bit too long for Remus' comfort. As she stood up, she didn't bother to hold her clothes in place, but played it off as naivety, and he bought it. She skipped to the door, and left. As the door closed behind her, she smirked. She had him in the palm of her hand, too.


	7. 7

Hermione was delighted that Fred and George were there, making a spectacle of themselves, as usual. Kept Harry and Ginny quiet, so she almost forgot they were there. She noticed Fred's eyes kept wandering to the empty seat, the one once occupied by his father. There'd been a small remembrance service, so everyone could say their goodbyes to Arthur, but it obviously still hurt his friends and family. But George was trying to keep the mood light, at least until the meeting in several hours.

"So then, Fred here, used the Sneaker to get into the women's restroom!" Everyone howled with laughter. "Hey, Hermione, have you tried out yours yet?"

"Er, no," she said. "I actually kind of forgot I had it." She snuck at look at Remus, who was focusing on his dinner. He hadn't spoken much since the meal began.

After dinner, Hermione helped Molly clean up the mess. That Kreacher was completely worthless. Why in the hell she ever stood up for him, was beyond her. Honestly, what was the point in having a house elf that did nothing? And of course, Ginny didn't have to help. No, Ginny was making Harry Freaking Potter happy, so that was her job. Keep Harry in good spirits, he needs to be ready when they find Voldemort. Hermione mentally rolled her eyes as she dried the dishes handed to her by Molly.

"Excuse me, ladies, but I must have a word with Hermione." Dumbledore. She hoped the potion was ready, she needed to get out. Hermione put down the towel and headed toward him.

"It's ready?" she asked him excitedly. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, but you will be escorted by Mr. Moody and Miss Tonks."

"But Professor," Hermione objected. "I haven't seen my parents in so long, and with the company, it won't be the same. My parents are too polite, they'd be fussing over the guests, and my time with them wouldn't be quality." She hung her head.

"My dear, the are escorting you there, but they will wait outside. You will have alone time with your family. It's just not safe for you to travel alone right now."

"Oh, I understand!" Hermione said brightly. "Yes, that makes perfect sense. Thank you for thinking of my safety. Oh, there's a lovely little cafe around the corner from my house. I'm sure they won't mind a spot of tea or coffee while I'm with my parents." She hugged Dumbledore.

"They're waiting for you in the back yard. You'll be flying. Enjoy seeing your parents, dear, but remember, you've only one hour. The cloaking spell won't last more than that."

Hermione ran up to her room and grabbed a satchel, secured it to the belt of her jeans. She tossed on a sweatshirt, it got awfully windy while flying. She quickly pulled her hair up into a bun, and changed into sneakers from her boots. Lastly, she grabbed the vials Lucius had slipped her. He, of course, only knew what was in one vial. Draco had brewed a second potion and replaced the second bottle with a Memory potion. After Hermione's meeting with her parents, she'd give them the Protection potion, to keep them from any harm the war might bring, and then give them the Memory one. They'd forget they ever had a daughter. It was safer for them that way. The Dark Lord hated muggles, and that's exactly what her parents were.

During the flight, Hermione struggled with her emotions. But it had to be done. Draco had assured her everything would be fine. They weren't betraying her parents, or Voldemort by doing this. God, I hope he's right. I'll never betray the dark side. Betrayal is what Harry and Ginny were all about, not her.

Finally, her home was in sight. Moody and Tonks walked her up to the door, saw her safely inside. Then they left for the cafe. Inside, Hermione talked with her parents, told them about the Order, what courses she'd be taking at school next term, all sorts of things. But not about her crossing over, or about Draco. She quickly changed the subject when they'd asked about Harry. When her hour was almost up, Hermione stood up, looked around one last time. She'd miss them, that was for sure, but she had no choice. She'd taken the oath, done the rituals. No more muggle life for her. She had to leave it all behind, sever all ties with her family.

"I have to go now," Hermione said quietly. She looked up and saw unshed tears in her mother's eyes. She went to her parents and embraced them one last time. "It's okay, mum, it's not forever. Only till the war is over." Her own tears fell now, as she lied to her parents for the first, and last time. As they both held her, Hermione reached out and poured the protective potion over their shoulders.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" her dad asked, pulling away. Silently, she sprinkled out the Memory potion. Her parents blinked a few times, and then looked at her with confusion.

She walked to the door, and left. She never looked back again.


	8. 8

Summer was quickly reaching it's halfway point. As she lay awake in her room, she looked into the dark night. There was no moon, only a few dim stars. Perfect.

She checked the time, and quietly got out of bed. She slipped out of her pajamas, and into a pair of loose jeans and a tank top and pink poncho. She carried her boots, so as not to make more sound. She quietly snuck toward Harry's room, intending to borrow his invisibilty cloak for the night. She was mildly surprised to find he was not in his room. She grabbed the cloak from the armoire, and figured he was probably making googly eyes at Ginny. She tossed the cloak over herself, and went downstairs, outside to the shed. She pulled out a broom, and mounted. She had to see Draco, and to fill in the Death Eaters on all she'd learned so far. She flew for about forty minutes. She finally saw the light of Draco's cabin.

She descended, and landed almost gracefully. She entered the cabin, and shook her hair loose from the ponytail. Everyone was seated at the table, and she sat, too. Draco couldn't stop staring at her. She smiled at him, but got to business. She pulled out a folder, and tossed it on the table.

"Here's the minutes from the last Order meeting. Taking out Arthur was brilliant. For him being such a flubbering fool, they seem to be lost without him. Of course, Dumbledore is still bossing everyone around. 'We must move on, for the greater good. Arthur was a great asset to the Order, but we must continue.' Blah." She flipped a page, and showed them plans for the Order's next mission. "If you look right here, you'll see-"

"See what, Hermione?"

They all stopped talking and looked at the figure in the doorway. MadEye Moody. Dammit, he'd followed her!

"You shouldn't have come," she said solemnly to him. Lucius raised his wand. "No!" She said, holding her hand up to him. "Let me." She pulled out her own wand, and used stupefy on Moody.

"What are you waiting for, bloody kill him!" exclaimed Draco. "Prove your loyalties!"

Moody was quite strong, and although he couldn't move his body, he could speak.

"Hermione, I saw you leave. You know I can see through the Invisibilty Cloak. I followed you, because I was worried. I never dreamt you'd be coming here. Hermione, it's not too late, you can stop all this. I know you don't really want to serve them. You're good, and you know it. Think about your parents!"

"My parents? They're muggles, I have no parents now." She held up the wand, her sleeve coming up. Moody could see the Dark Mark on her forearm. "Avada-"

Moody had used an expelliarmus spell, wandlessly. Her wand flew from her hand, to the ground. All the Death Eaters wands flew up and Hermione retrieved hers. "Avada Kedavra!" she finished.

A green lightning bolt emerged from the tip of her wand, and embedded itself into MadEye's chest. He fell to the ground, lifeless. She was quiet for a moment.

"And how do you feel, now?" Lucius asked her.

"Inexplicable." She said quietly. Then louder, "I didn't know it felt this good to kill! I feel so alive! It's like I took his lifeforce and absorbed it myself!"

She noticed Bronwyn's almost smile, and couldn't help but be proud of herself. "Take him outside," Hermione said, motioning to Moody's dead body. "I'll drop him off near the Order, where no one will be able to miss him," she smirked. They got back to the plans.

The meeting broke up, and Hermione checked the time. Two hours till dawn. Plenty of time to be alone with Draco.

"Nothing can keep us apart now, Hermione. Your first kill, that bonded you to Voldemort forever. Just like you and I are bonded forever." He leaned in to kiss her, and they quickly became more passionate. Before they knew it, they lay in bed together, naked, intimate. Their tongues danced together hungrily, their bodies intertwined.

Oh Draco, I love you so! Hermione entered his mind.

He responded with, And I you. We'll never be apart.

For the first time, they were inside each other's minds during their love making. It was so much more incredible than either could have possibly imagined. Sharing thoughts, sharing power, sharing love. When they both were too exhausted to move anymore, they just held each other. The first rays of sunlight were appearing.

I have to go now, she sent to him.

I know.

She got out of bed, dressed quickly. I'll be back, she sent. I love you.

I love you too.

-----

Hermione had returned to Grimauld Place before anyone knew she was missing. At breakfast, she couldn't stop yawning.

"What's the matter, Hermione? Couldn't sleep?"

"No, bad dreams, Mrs. Weasley."

Remus looked at Hermione, raised an eyebrow. Did she have the same dreams as he?

Hermione got up and left the kitchen, not helping clean up the mess. This surprised Molly, but she let it go. Hermione did way more than her share around here.

Upstairs, Hermione stretched out luxuriously on her bed. She closed her eyes, remembering the previous night. There was a soft knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" It was Remus. She wasn't sure if she was up to him now, but mentally opened the door. She was loving this wandless magic stuff.

He slowly came in, and Hermione pulled herself up into a sitting position. "What's up?" she asked him. She patted the bed next to her, and he hesitantly sat down. He looked quite awkward, like he didn't really want to be there. She reached out to him, put her hand on his. "Tell me."

"I...Hermione, I told you there was someone I fancy.."

"And?" she coaxed.

"And I can't stop thinking about her. I don't know if I should tell her or not. I'm so confused."

She knew where this was leading, but couldn't put a stop to it. She had already gotten Moody suspicious of her, and while he was dead, she didn't want to arouse anymore suspicion just yet.

"You have to do what you think is right, Remus. If this will finally let you move past Lily, you've got to do it."

Here it comes, she thought to herself. He's going to tell me. What am I going to do? I'll have to look shocked. I'll let him down gently. But maybe I can have some fun with this.

"Hermione," he said slowly, not looking her in the eye. "I don't love Lily anymore. Or her ghost. I've finally found what it takes to get over her, but I don't think I can let myself love this new person. She's- She's just too different from me. Hermione," he said, finally looking in her eyes. "She's you. I'm in love with you."

Hermione gasped, trying to look taken aback. "Me? But..but.. Remus, me?"

"I'm sorry Hermione, I shouldn't have said anything." His hand reached out to touch her face, but he stopped, inches from her flesh. He couldn't let himself touch her. It wasn't right.

Hermione stared into his eyes for a moment, not knowing what to do next. She reached up and gently took his outreached hand in hers, and pulled it down to meet her other hand. She let the hands rest on her lap. "Remus, are you sure? Are you sure you love me? No one's ever loved me before..." she lowered her head, so as not to convey it was a lie. She knew Draco loved her, but couldn't tell Remus that. She looked back up at him. He no longer looked uncomfortable, just confused.

"Yes, Hermione. I'm sure. God help me, I'm sure." He couldn't help himself anymore, he bent down and softly kissed her lips.

She closed her eyes tightly, not pulling away from the kiss, but not enjoying it either. My loyalties are with Draco now, she told herself. But this could be just the thing to get her into all the other meetings she was missing. If everyone saw her as grown up enough to date a man, a werewolf, twice her age, she was sure she could convince them that she could handle the 'grown-up' meetings. She stopped cringing, and kissed him back. Draco would understand.

They were interrupted by an ear-piercing scream downstairs. They jumped apart guiltily, looking in shock at each other for a second. Then another scream. They stood up, holding hands, and quickly ran to the source of the noise. Molly was the one screaming, she was becoming hysterical. All other members of the Order that were at the house at the moment quicky appeared, too. Hermione rushed to Molly, knowing the source of her screams, but pretending she didn't, yet. She put her arms around her, and said, "Molly, what is it? What's happened?" She, along with the others, followed Molly's gaze to the sidewalk in front of the house. The door stood wide open, and the body of Mad Eye Moody could be seen, his limbs wrenched in different directions, as if he'd been thrown from high above, which he had, Hermione inwardly smirked. Well done, she told herself.

"But how did they find us?" Ron spoke up. "Our secret keeper-"

"Didn't say a word," Dumbledore said, from the doorway leading to another room. He slowly walked to the front door, looked outside, for any sign of muggles, and whipped out his wand. Moody's body disappeared. He quickly closed the door.

"Then how?" Ginny trembled in Harry's arms.

"It is a coincidence. We all know it's just not possible otherwise. The Death Eaters, they probably know we're somewhere in this area, just as we suspect where their headquarters are. They put him where we'd be sure to find him, but they couldn't have had any idea how close they really were. It's just not possible."

He stalked off toward the kitchen. Hermione gently coaxed Molly away from the door, into the parlor. She sat her down in a chair, and Ginny came running with a cup of tea. Hermione sneered at Ginny, an expression she'd learned from Draco. Hermione quicky stood up, and stalked across the room. Ginny was consoling her mother, and Hermione went over to Remus. She pulled him into a hug, and forced some tears. He wrapped his arms around her, and gently kissed the top of her head. Harry noticed this little exchange, and felt a twinge of jealousy mixed with guilt. Good, thought Hermione. I'm glad it's affecting him. She pulled out of Remus' hug and took his hand. She pulled him into the drawing room. More forced tears. They were alone in here.

"Remus, I'm so scared! What if they find out how close they were to finding us? We've got to get them, before they get us!" Her body shook with emotion. She pressed herself closer to him, knowing it would affect him. She looked up at him, and he couldn't help but to think how innocent and beautiful she was, with tears glistening in her eyes. He lowered his head for a kiss.

"Ahem." They quickly looked up. Dumbledore had entered the room with them. "I daresay this isn't what it looks like?"

"Professor Dumbledore, sir." Hermione pulled away, and folded her hands in front of her body. "It's not - oh hell, it IS what it looks like sir." She reached out and took Remus' hand. "We found, amid consoling each other for loves lost, each other. Obviously we didn't mean for it to happen, it just did." She smiled meekly. "The heart wants what it wants." She looked down at their intwined hands.

"Well," Dumbledore said, not knowing how to handle this. "Well."

"Albus," Remus finally spoke up, "I know it seems crazy. I know, she's half my age. But Albus, if there's anything I've learned from life, it's that happiness comes in small doses, and we've got to grab it and hold it for dear life when it comes. Especially with the war..." He grew sullen, looked out the window. "Please," he said, turning back. "I've already lost Lily, and now Sirius. And look what Hermione has gone through with Harry and Ginny. Don't make us give this-" he held up their clasped hands -"up, too."

"Well, then," Dumbledore said, "Put that way, how can I argue? I only hope you both know what you're getting yourselves into. Remus, I'll trust you'll remember she's quite young, and ah, shall we say, innocent."

Remus blushed, and so did Hermione. But she, for different reasons. "Yes, sir," he said. Dumbledore turned and left the room, probably deciding how the hell this happened.

When Hermione was finally able to get away from Remus, she ran to her room and put the locking charm on the door. She quickly scribbled out a letter to Draco, telling him the events of the day. She knew he'd understand, she just knew it. She tapped the parchment, and it appeared to be a copy of the Daily Prophet. She strapped it to an owl, and watched as it disappeared in the horizon.

She pulled out the Sneaker, and sent it to the meeting hall. Remus was talking with Molly, Tonks, and Albus. "But she IS an adult, at least emotionally. She needs to be in on these meetings. She's got a bloody brilliant mind. Albus, you know it was she that came up with most of the plans that helped Harry defeat You Know Who at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore heaved a huge sigh. "Remus, I'm afraid your personal involvement with Miss Granger-"

"Personal involvement?" shrieked Tonks. "Remy, you're snogging Hermione?"

"Shut up!" he blushed, "and don't call me Remy, you know I hate that," except when Hermione says it, he thought to himself. "You know how love works, without rhyme or reason."

Tonks shook her head. "You're right, of course. Oh, Remus, I'm glad to see you happy, I really am. It's just...weird."

"I second that," said Molly. "Too weird. Just be careful Remus. She can't stand being hurt anymore."

"Fine," Albus said, "Get her down here, and call the others. The meeting is about to begin."

Hermione quickly retracted the Sneaker. Just as she was stashing it in a dresser, she heard a tapping on her door. "Come in!" she called happily. She knew it was him.

Remus cautiously entered her room. He looked around. She didn't have childish things lying about, like Ginny did. Her room was very sophisiticated. His gaze fell to her bed, then he quickly averted them to her, by the fireplace. "Um, it's time for the meeting."

"Oh, okay," she said. "I guess we'll have to talk afterwards."

"No, you're coming, too."

"Me?"

"Yes. Now come on, you can't be late for your first upper level meeting." She smiled brightly, and took his hand and they walked downstairs.

The meeting was rather boring, Hermione decided. They'd gone on and on about the loss of Moody. They were still baffled as to how the Death Eaters had left his body so close to the Order headquarters. Hermione herself was a bit confused at that, too, because she hadn't meant to drop it right on the bloody sidewalk. She'd meant to drop him in a park a few blocks away. Oh well. She tried to pay attention, nod in all the right places. How boring was this meeting going to get?

"Last order of business tonight. Who are we sending to the forest?"

"I'll go," Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke up. "I'll get them for what they did to Arthur, and Alastor."

"Fine. And who else would you like to go with you?"

"Well, Remus can't, it's too close to a full moon, he won't be at full capacity."

Remus hung his head shamefully.

"I'll go," Hermione spoke up.

"No." Molly said. "You're not ready yet."

"Not ready? Molly, I can do wandless magic, I'm quick, I'm agile, I'm quite brainy, if I do say so myself, I-"

"No," said Dumbledore. "You're to help with the planning, not the carrying out."

Hermione sighed. Just as well. How would her fellow Death Eaters react to an ambush she was supposedly in on? Some of them were still quite mad that Voldemort let a mudblood in. Although Draco said no one was to call her that anymore, since she's renounced and refused any and all things muggle now, including her family.

"What forest?" she said.

"There's a stone cabin about two hours from here, we think it's where the Malfoys and Bronwyns are stationed."

Hermione perked up, trying not to look too interested, but enough to persuade them. That was Draco's cabin! She'd warn him. It would be okay. Draco wouldn't be taken down by the Order.

After the meeting, Remus walked Hermione back to her room. She noticed a scroll on her table, she hoped it was a reply from Draco. He'd enchanted it to look like the Daily Prophet, too. Remus walked over to pick it up. "Wonder if news of Moody has hit the press yet."

"No!" Hermione yelled. She quickly composed herself. "I mean, no, let's not think about him right now. It's too hard," she sniffled. She sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace, and he sat beside her. Her attention kept going back to the scroll, but that would have to wait. Remus pulled out his wand and lit a fire. He held out a hand to her, and she took it. They looked at each other for a moment. "Hermione," he began, "I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you feel the same about me. You love me. And I love you." He leaned in and kissed her. He tried to deepen the kiss, but Hermione put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away.

"What's the matter?"

"I just, I don't think I'm ready for more than kissing right now. I'm sorry."

"Hermione, it was just a kiss. A closed mouth kiss."

"I...I've never had more than a closed mouth kiss, if you don't count the little scene in the backyard." She blushed at the memory.

"It's okay, I understand. Hermione, I just want you to know that I'm not going to ask you to sleep with me. Not for a while, yet."

"Thank you," Hermione tried to look shy and embarrased.

"So," he laughed. "Your first tongue kiss, was that one?"

She laughed too. "Yeah. How embarrassing, huh?"

"Nah," he said. He looked at a clock. "It's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow, my dear." He stood up, and walked out of the room, pausing at the doorway to get one more look at her. He finally closed the door.

Finally! Hermione thought. She whipped out her wand and charmed the door locked.

Hermione,

I know you're doing what you need to, to stay a loyal spy. But please, please don't kiss him again, if you can help it. I can't bear to think of your lips on anyone's but mine. What happened at the meeting? Anything juicy?

Hermione quickly wrote out the details, especially the ones about the Order coming after him at his cabin. It was set for the next night. She wasn't worried. Everything would be fine. Poor Shacklebolt wouldn't make it back, nor would the other two going with him. Charlie would be missed, but not by her. She couldn't remember the other fellow's name. Something Thomason. Who cares? She also told Draco how she played the innocence card with Remus, so he wouldn't be expecting anything more than a small kiss occasionally.

She was just about to fall asleep, when a falcon owl pecked at her window. She jumped up excitedly. It was Draco's response. She skimmed through it, then reread it three times. He told her how proud he was, and just how please the Dark Lord was. This would definitely be remembered.

-----

"Why the hell does Hermione get to go to the meetings? Just because she's sleeping with Remus now?" Harry was going off on Albus and Molly in the kitchen.

"Watch it, man, don't talk about her like that!" Remus yelled. "Just because you and Ginny can't keep quiet at night, doesn't mean everyone is screwing!"

Molly gasped, and held a hand over her heart. Her youngest child, her only daughter, was sleeping with Harry Potter. She'd have to sort it out later. Her eyes narrowed at Harry. "YOU are not coming to the meetings. End of discussion. And you WILL be sleeping in your own room from now on, do I make myself clear?"

Harry nodded shamefully. He stalked out of the room, bumping harshly into Hermione on the way out. "Get the hell out of my way," he said quietly to her.

"Harry, what is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, move." he said.

"Oh, I see," Hermione said sweetly. "You're jealous. You can't handle that I've moved on, that I want nothing to do with you anymore. You can't stand the fact that someone else's arms are wrapped around me. What, Potter, you don't want me, but don't want anyone else to have me either? Is that it?"

"No!" he yelled. "It's just gross! The guy was my godfather's best friend! He's old!"

"It's not gross, Harry. I'll tell you what's gross. What's gross is you and my former best friend betraying me and not even having the decency to be humble about it. In case you haven't noticed, Harry, it's disgusting. At least Remus and I have the sense to keep it low profile."

Harry whipped around and stormed out of the room. Hermione sneered.


	9. 9

The ambush went as planned. Well, as the Death Eaters had planned. They lost only one in the fight, Bronwyn. But they took out all three of the Order members. No more Shacklebolt, no more Thomason, no more more Charlie Weasley. The Weasley family was slowly dwindling to nothing. Percy had been disowned, after he didn't even care about his father's death. Percy still stood firm with Fudge, even though Fudge had been exiled. Ron was healing nicely, and would be ready for another attack soon. He and the twins had planned what to do, and ran it by Hermione first. They knew how crafty she was. She worked out the minor kinks for them, and ran off to inform Draco he'd be getting more visitors. He'd since abandonned the cabin for the comfort of Malfoy Manor, which had protection charms of its own, but he and his father would return for the set up.

A shrilly scream echoed throught Grimauld Place. Again? Hermione sighed, and went to see what the commotion was about. Molly was on the floor in the kitchen, crying her eyes out.

"What happened, Molly?" Remus ran to her, and helped her up. She was too upset to speak, she held out a parchment. He took it from her, reading quickly. "Oh, no." he said.

"What is it, what?" asked Ron.

"It's Bill. Here," Remus handed the scroll to Ron. Ron started crying, too. He dropped it on the floor, and ran out. Hermione looked around, wanting to know what was happening. No one said anything, so she picked up the paper and read it herself. It was from the new Minsiter. Bill had been attacked in Egypt. He didn't make it. She looked up from the scroll, at Remus. He was comforting Molly, and he looked up at her, too. Their eyes met.

"Mumma, tell me it's not true!" Ginny ran in, eyes full of tears. "Ron told Harry and me the sickest joke! It's a joke, right? Tel me it's a joke!" Molly shook her head at Ginny, and a fresh wave of tears hit. Hermione quietly left the room. Up in her room, she sneered. Payback's a bitch, huh Ginny?

---

"Ron, are you sure you have to go tonight? With all that's happened?" Hermione asked him, as he, Fred and George were getting ready to leave for the cabin. "Why don't you wait a few days?"

"It can't wait, and you know it." The men stalked out the door, slamming it behind them. She turned around to go upstairs, but her path was blocked by Harry.

"They shouldn't have gone," he said.

"No," she agreed.

"I don't think they'll be coming back," Harry said weakly.

Hermione's head shot in his direction. "What do you mean? How can you say that?" Did he suspect something about her?

"I just have a bad feeling. I'm going, too."

"No, you're not, Harry Potter. You know what Dumbledore said."

"Yeah, well Dumbledore's wrong! They shouldn't be out there! It should be me! I'm the one Voldemort's after! And everyone is dying because of me! Well it's not going to happen again! I won't let it! I have to put a stop to all of this!"

"Harry, you can't go, you're not ready yet! Dumbledore said you're not ready yet!"

"Fuck Dumbledore. He can't stop me, and neither can you." Harry stormed out. Hermione watched him grab his broom from the shed and take off. She smiled evilly. This coudn't have worked out better!

She rushed up to her room. She alohamora'ed the door, and put a silencing charm on the room. She grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it in the fire.

"What is it? We're getting ready!" Lucius' face appeared in the fireplace.

"Lucius, it's working out better than we planned! Harry's on his way, too!"

"Oh, the Dark Lord will be most please, Hermione. You've served him well."

"Lucius, I heared that prophecy. Harry can't be killed by anyone other than the Dark Lord."

"Yes, yes, I know. I'll go tell him. How much time do I have?"

"About fifteen minutes."

"Then I must go. Well done, Hermione." With that his head disappeared from the fire. Hermione knew Lucius had rushed to the Lord's chambers to inform him of the news. A couple minutes later, the Dark Mark on Hermione's arm tingled slightly. She pulled back her sweater sleeve to look at it. She smiled. She had informed Voldemort of the evening's upcoming events, and knew he was pleased.

"Hermione!" She heard a banging on the door. "Hermione, open up!" It was Remus, and he seemed panicked. He must have realized Harry was gone. She opened the door for him, looking happy to see him. She reached up to him, and kissed him. He allowed himself to enjoy the kiss for a moment, then pulled away.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, looking concerned.

"Harry's gone. He went after the Malfoys."

"No!" Hermione pasted a shocked look on her face. He grabbed her hand and quickly let her downstairs to the parlor. The remaining members of the Order were gathered. Ginny and Molly were wailing uncontrollably. Albus flicked his wand in their direction, and their cries became silent. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. He informed everyone of Harry's disappearance. Everyone was panicked. Hermione secretly wondered if they'd been this worried about her when she left. No, she shook her head, of course not. They only care about Harry bloody Potter.

"Professor, excuse the interruption, but Harry will be fine. We all know about the Prophecy. No one can kill him except Voldemort."

"And himself, I'm afraid," Albus said. "In his state of mind, he could very well self destruct. His emotions could get the better of him. If he were to confront the Death Eaters before he's ready, they could stun him and take him to the Dark Lord."

Dammit, why didn't I think of that? Hermione thought.

"But, sir, he's just following the boys to the Malfoys cabin. Once they're taken care of, I'm sure he'll coem back safely."

A light crossed the room from the window. "Remus! The time! You've only got six minutes! Get down to the safe room!"

Remus looked out the window. It would be a full moon tonight. He grabbed Hermione roughly, kissed her hard on the mouth, and fled the room.

"Unfortunately, with Professor Snape...incapacitated... we've run out of Wolfsbane serum. Hermione, follow Remus, and make sure the hatches are secured. There's too much going on tonight to worry about him getting lose."

She nodded and ran after Remus. After checking that he was secured in the safe room, she slunk down the wall. Oh how she missed Draco. The battle would be going on right now. She knew he'd be safe, especially with her helpful information, but how she longed to be there, fighting side by side with him. Well, if this battle went as expected, she'd be reunited with Draco soon. With Harry Potter dead, she'd no longer have to be a spy. The Dark Lord would be unstoppable, and Hermione would be able to proclaim her loyalty to the world. Oh, Draco, be safe, be safe, she thought.

Suddenly, POP! Hermione opened her eyes, and was somehow at Draco's cabin.

"Lookout!!" Draco screamed when he saw her. She whipped out her wand, as Draco sent the cruciatus curse onto Fred. Fred screamed and writhed in pain. Hermione looked to the corner and saw the dead body of George Weasley.

"Hermione, what the bloody hell are you doing here?" Ron shouted. He ran toward her, jumped in front of her body to protect her.

"I, I don't know!" she said, ducking a curse. "I--I must have apparated. Ron, I can apparate!"

"Well, you'll excuse me if I won't congratulate you right now. I'm sorta busy. Do you have your wand with you?" He ducked another curse.

"I sure do," Hermione said. Something odd about her voice. Ron slowly turned around to face her. She had her wand raised to his face. "Hermione, what the hell are you doing?" He looked shocked, terrified, unbeleiving.

Hermione glanced over his shoulder to Draco, who sneered and nodded. "Avada Kedavra!" It was over. Ron's lifeless body fell to the ground. She stepped over him, and toward Draco. She was stopped when Harry stepped between them.

"Hermione, what have you done!? You killed the wrong person, you killed Ron!"

Hermione shoved him aside, and went into Draco's waiting arms. They kissed breifly, as Harry watched, stunned. "Hermione, I don't beleive it, you...but... Hermione, I thought you loved me." He pleaded.

"Look what betrayal can do to a person," she said calmly. She held out her wand. "Stupefy!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Harry immediately became rigid, eyes wide. Draco pulled out his want and stupefied him again, for good measure.

"Well done, Hermione," Lucius said, stepping over the newly deceased body of Fred Weasley. "Come. The Dark Lord awaits." He flicked his wand, and Harry's stiff body magically followed them into the back chamber of the cabin. This wasn't the chamber Hermione and Draco had once shared. It was bigger, darker. Damp, even. The three approached Lord Voldemort, and bowed.

"You have proven yourselves well, Death Eaters. You will be greatly rewarded."

They silently stood up, and stepped aside. Lucius' wand guided Harry's rigid body in front of Voldemort. The three Death Eaters took another step back. Draco's fingers laced with Hermione's, behind their backs. Their wands were still in their free hands. Voldemort took a slow step toward Harry. He eyed him, circled him. He could smell Harry's fear. He knew Harry well. He'd been inside his head, battled him many times in the past. "This will be the last battle," he said aloud. He held his wand to Harry's chest and wordlessly performed the Cruciatus curse. Poor Harry. He tried not to scream. The stupefy had worn off, and now his body was writhing in the air. Voldemort lowered his wand, and Harry's body fell to the ground. He still twitched several times, but was reaching for his wand.

"I don't think so!" Hermione stepped forward. She quickly bowed to Voldemort, then kicked Harry hard in the ribs. She heard them snap. He rolled his body away from her, and she kicked him in the back. "Betrayal, Harry. Betrayal. If only you hadn't betrayed me, I'd have never met my new destiny." She kneeled down, so she was face to face with him. In an almost whisper, "Thank you, Harry. You forced me to see what was really inside myself. If you hadn't betrayed me, I'd still be blindy following and worshipping you. Thank your little girlfriend, too, when you see her in the afterlife." She quickly stood up and kicked him in the face. She walked back to Draco and Lucius. She looked up to Voldemort and said, "This is where my loyalties lie, now."

Voldemort turned back to Harry, and stared at him for a moment. Lucius silently stepped forward, and handed his wand to Voldemort. They knew that the Lord's wand wouldn't be able to kill Harry, they were brother wands. Voldemort took the extended wand, held it silently up to Harry's face, and said the curse. Words weren't needed for his powerful magic to work. But he used them anyway, to see the last look on Harry Potter's face. "Avada Kedavra." And that was the end of Harry Potter.

Voldemort turned to the Death Eaters. "Your reward. Take out the Order. I know they're all on the way now. Do what you will with them, but leave Dumbledore for me." He gave Lucius back his wand. Then, as if on cue, the rest of the Order burst into the room, including Molly and Ginny.

"No!!" screamed Ginny when she saw her dead brothers. For once, she forgot about Harry Potter.

"Hermione, Hermione what's happened?" Molly cried, looking around. She hadn't realized Hermoine had crossed over yet. She started toward Hermione, but stopped when she saw the look on her face. It hit her. Hermione was a traitor.

"I'm not the traitor," Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest. "She is!" She pointed her wand at Ginny, cursing her into excruciating pain. The other members of the Order charged forward, and a battle between them and the Death Eaters ensued. It didn't take much effort, seeing that the only members of the Order were Ginny, Molly, Tonks, Dumbledore and two others, whose names were escaping Hermione at the moment.

She and the Malfoys easily took care of the Order. All were now dead, except for Dumbledore. It took all three of them keeping their wands on him to keep him stupefied. Voldemort entered again, and the Death Eaters bowed their heads. Voldemort used his own wand this time. Albus broke out of the stupefy, and blocked the oncoming spell with one of his own. He cast one last look at Hermione, disappointment apparent on his face, and apparated out.

"No matter," Voldemort said, "It won't be long until Dumbledore is out of the way, too." He turned and went back to his chamber, where he then aparated back to his own place.

"Well done, Hermione, well done," Lucius applauded her. "Harry Potter is finally dead, and the Dark Lord is able to take back what is rightfully his. There has never been a celebration quite like the one that will occur with the Death Eaters tonight, Hermione, and your actions tonight will get you the acceptance of those who didn't believe in you, as we have. Draco," he said, turning to his son, "Seven o'clock tomorrow." With that, he apparated.

Draco looked at the time. "All this time alone, whatever shall we do?" He pulled Hermione close, and kissed her more forcefully than he ever had before. Hermione's eyes popped open.

"Wait, Lupin."

"Lupin? Why are you thinking of him at a time like this?"

"NO, his transformation will be complete in a few hours, and Dumbledore is sure to go for him. Lupin is quite powerful himself, not that I'm worried, but we'll have to keep alert."

"Is that all?" Draco asked? She nodded. "Good." He decended upon her mouth again. Together they aparated out of the warfield of a cabin, and reappeared in Draco's bedchamber at the Malfoy manor. They entered each other's minds again, ripping off clothes, falling onto the bed.

Draco, your parents! Hermione sent.

They aren't here, they're planning the celebration. And I don't care, do you?

No, I guess I don't.

Good, then keep kissing me like this, and share your power with me.

She did, and as power coursed through their bodies, there was more pleasure than they'd ever experienced together before. Afterward, as they lay tangled in each other, Draco was mindlessly stroking a lock of Hermione's hair. The light from the fire dancing in the fireplace across the room made her hair shimmer. "Draco," she said softly, turning her face to see his.

He leaned down and softy kissed her. "What is it?"

"It appears I'm homeless now."

"The Dark Lord will reward you well. Nothing for you to worry about."

"Good," she snuggled into him again, and kissed his neck. He reached across her body, feeling every inch of her softness. His hand closed on her bottom, and pulled her onto him. Their bodies came together again, their lips never parting.

When they finished, they fell asleep in each other's arms. They'd have to gain some energy, seven o'clock would come shortly.


	10. 10

valentines-hater : She meant emotionally, not physically, :) And thanks for putting me on alert! It means so much!

thanks to all who have reviewed, this story has become my passion. I'll go back and title the chapters later, right now, I'm just getting it all out and posted. sorry for the typos, I dont have a spell checker :(

A/N: I had a whole chapter ten written, and my damn computer crashed! So now I have to figure out how to rewrite it! Ahh! Okay, on with the show!.....

* * *

Hermione and Draco apparated to Malfoy manor before the event. Hermione had been allowed to raid Narcissa's wardrobe, seeing how she had nothing of her own that would possibly be good enough to wear in Voldemort's presence. She'd settled on a dark green clingy dress, with sheer black dress robes that were quite fitted, for being robes. She'd spent the better part of an hour being led around by Lucius, hearing him retell the story of Harry Potter's demise and her part in it. Any Death Eaters that had been skeptical of her in the past had no doubts now.

When Voldemort finally arrived, Hermione listened attentatively to what he had to say. He spoke of the appreicated loyalty of his followers, of Harry's downfall and death, and finally, about the infiltration into the Ministry. The newest Minister of Magic, and all heads of departments that weren't held by Death Eaters, were now in St Mungo's, cruciatiused into insanity. Lord Voldemort announced who would be taking over the departments, as he himself was appointed, by himself, the new Minister of Magic. Lucius' previous post had been filled by someone else, though, as he was now the Head of Education. His first act of office was to take over Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That muggle-loving Dumbledore ran off into hiding, along with McGonagall and Remus Lupin. Hermione felt a small twinge of guilt hearing Lupin's name, but quickly shoved it aside. It didn't matter, Lupin was and would forever be loyal to Potter.

Hermione couldn't help but to look at Voldemort with admiration, as did all of the Death Eaters present. She knew, somehow, that even when he'd merely been Tom Riddle, that he commanded the attention of everyone in the room. She could see how it was so easy for him to obtain followers. When Voldemort had finished addressing the Death Eaters, he actually walked around talking to several. After his destruction of Potter, he had taken back some of his human form. He looked human now. Except for those red eyes. He kept his hood raised, so Hermione could only see part of his face, but how beautiful it was. He began approaching her, and she quickly bowed. "Granger, you will be rewarded greatly for your loyalties." His voice was still steely, raspy. She dared a look up at him, and said, "Thank you, my Lord." He nodded, and turned away.

Lucius came up to her. "I trust you've been informed of your reward?"

"Just that I'm to get one," she said, almost nervously.

Lucius smiled, and led Hermione over to meet the Lestranges. He'd fill her in later. Hermione had been trying to be polite and accept the welcomes and praises for her part in the movement, but she couldn't stop looking for Draco out of the corner of her eye. She finally spotted him, across the room, talking to Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini.

He entered her mind. You look so beautiful tonight. I can't wait to get you alone.

It'll have to wait. Your father wants to talk to me when everyone leaves. I'm a bit nervous.

Don't be, you'll like what he has to say.

What is it? Tell me!

Just wait.

Hermione swore she could feel him smirking mentally at her. Her attention was again captured by others, and Lucius was animatedly talking about Hermione's key role in the movement.

"Without her, we would still be trying to find the Order's headquarters."

Hermione blushed, and graciously accepted the praise of the bystanders. She felt like she met a million people tonight. She didn't know there were quite this many Death Eaters.

"Ah, Pansy, Blaise," Lucius said. "I trust you know Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir, we do." Pansy said. Hermione was quite uncomfortable. She knew that Pansy and Draco were sort of an item. Lucius left to talk to Bronwyns brother.

After an awkward silence, and Hermione looking down at her shoes, Pansy finally spoke. "Hermione, I only have two words for you: Thank you!"

Hermione looked up, shocked. "For what?"

"For somehow convincing Lucius and my father that Draco and I shouldn't be wed next year. Blaise and I have been secretly seeing each other for three years now. And now that Draco has proclaimed his love for you to his father, our engagement is broken! It wasn't our choice anyway. I love Draco like a brother and all, but ew. Like a brother. Now Blaise and I are free to stop sneaking around."

"Well, I'm very happy for you both," Herminone smiled.

"Let's go get a drink and track down Loverboy for you," Blaise said to Hermione, in a surprisingly deep voice. They finally found him, talking to his mother. Draco excused himself, and he and Hermione snuck outside. They shared a long awaited kiss under an arbor, and then he gently took her hand and led her to sit on the edge of a fountain.

"So, what's your father going to tell me? Many of the guests are leaving."

"He's going to tell you to pack your bags," Draco said seriously. Shock crossed Hermione's face.

"But-"

"Shh, let me finish. We've taken over Hogwarts, you know."

"Yeah...?" she questioned.

"We're moving in. We have to be there, to help implement the changes. The former Astronomy Tower, it's ours. We're head boy and girl."

"But we'll only be sixth years!" she said.

"So what? Don't you know who my father is?" Draco laughed. "He's the bloody headmaster, he can choose who he wants. There's going to be a lot of changes at Hogwarts. Over half the students will be expelled, for not following Voldemort. The remaining will be tested, much as you were in the cabin that night. No more mudbloods allowed. And the only half-bloods allowed must come from the noblest lineage. And procreating with muggles is no longer allowed. We gotta get in there, and clean house, so to speak."

"So, who's he having teach? I daresay none of the current professors will be satisfactory. McGonagall- Oh no, I forgot about the old bat. She wasn't at the battle."

"No matter. Surely she's in hiding with Dumbledore and Lupin. We'll get them. They can't hide forever. First step was the Ministry. Voldemort will soon have control over all of Brittain. Then Europe. Then-"

"I get it," Hermione cut him off. "Just shut up and kiss me already."

He did, until he felt a shadow cross his face. He pulled away from Hermione, and they both looked up. "Hello, Father," Draco said.

"Yes, well, the last of the guests have left and the elves are almost done cleaning. It's time for your reward, Hermione. Come. The Dark Lord awaits."

Hermione looked slightly nervously at Draco, then rose to follow Lucius. Draco followed, too.

Inside, in the deepest chamber of the manor, Lucius knocked on a large wooden door. It opened.

"My lord, Hermione is here." Lucius bowed, and left the room. Hermione stepped forward, and bowed deeply, until he spoke. At the first word, she held up her head, and slowly stood.

"Granger, for your complete devotion, I'm rewarding you with a very large estate. And all inside. You now control the former Moody premises. Quite a bit of gold in Gringott's attached to that name. I know you'll still be spending quite a bit of time at Hogwart's, helping Lucius and Draco implement the changes. I trust you will all succeed. That will be all."

"Thank you, my lord." Hermione bowed again, and slunk backwards out of the chamber. She met the smiles of both Malfoys.

"The Dark Lord will be returning to his own home, now. As for us, we will leave for the school at dawn. There is much to do. I bid you goodnight." He nodded to Draco, and kissed Hermione's outstretched hand. He turned and strode down the long hallway, looking for Narcissa.

Hermione couldn't contain her excitement. As she and Draco left the corridor, on the way to Draco's chambers, she had trouble absorbing the events of the night. She was accepted, she belonged. She was loving her new destiny. She was really loving Draco. They made love for the remainder of the night, atop Draco's monstrous bed, with black velvet drapings, and black and silver striped linens. They again share their power through this exchange, and drifted into dreamless sleep for the remainder of the wee morning hours.

They were awoken shortly before dawn by one of the house elves. They silently got their belongings together, and met Lucius in the entrance hall with their trunks. The three apparated to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, and a thestral-pulled carraige was there to take them the rest of the way. They had quite a bit of work to do before the students arrived next month.


	11. 11

_A/N: two new scenes, previously edited out. One is in the bathroom scene, and the other is at the end. the last one is not that much different from previous posting. REVIEW! thank you :) _

* * *

The three met in the Great Hall to make plans. Defense Against the Dark Arts, that was definitely gone. Now it would be Direction of the Dark Arts, taught by the younger Bronwyn, Horatio. Astronomy, no longer needed. Who cared about stars? Hermione and Draco were anxious to get to their new quarters up there, but knew they had business to attend first. History of Magic, that could stay. Professor Binns was still in position. He had a bit of ghostly dark blood in him. Sybil Trelawney would be brought back, but not as a teacher. She'd had two premonitions concerning the Dark Lord before; she needed to be kept close. Firenze would stay in Divination, he didn't have much choice, unless he wanted to go back into the Forbidden Forest and meet his downfall. The other centaurs would never forgive him for helping humans. Muggle Studies, needless to say, was gone. They were still looking for a new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, as well as Charms. Filch, of course, would be staying on. He was quite thrilled that corporal punishment was being brought back. A bit disappointed that all punishings must be approved by Lucius, but thrilled nonetheless. Most pleasing to Lucius was his dear old friend Avery as Transfiguration teacher. Obviously new heads of house were in order. Avery would also be taking over as Slytherin. Many more details needed to be worked out, but they still had a month until students arrived.

"So," Lucius said, going over scrolls and scrolls of notes, "NEWTs and OWLs will still be administered, but for third years on, there will be special tests at year's end to see how their Death Eater skills are being developed. At the end of fifth year, upon satisfactory completion, they will be given a sort of temporary Dark Mark. If they fail, they will be forced to repeat the year. No one will graduate from Hogwarts with less than full Death Eater status. Our most promising students will be taken to the Lord himself, while others will receive their permanant Dark Marks in a group fashion." He looked up. Hermione was busy scribbling her own notes, and Draco was, well, not taking as many. Lucius supposed that Hermione's efficiency in schoolwork even now was a plus. "Avery, Bronwyn, and Narcissa will be arriving in the morning. Please be ready for them, as we will be having many more meetings in the coming weeks. That will be all for now. If you need me, you'll find me in the Headmaster's chambers. Much-"

At that moment, they were interrupted by a house elf, wearing clothes. "Not it's true, Hermy-oney! You not go back Harry Potter from, say no! Hermy not Eater Death!?"

"Dobby!" Hermione shrilled. "What the hell are you still doing here? You're not indebted to Hogwarts. Go find your master, I mean, employer. You're not welcome here."

Dobby cowered, but stood firm. He wasn't ready to leave yet.

"Dobby?" Lucius asked. "Remove yourself from my presence immediately, you traitor!"

"No!" Dobby yelled, shaking. "Dobby must know, Hermy not evil!"

"I am, Dobby, as a matter of fact, I hand-fed your beloved Harry Potter to Voldemort."

Dobby gasped.

"Dobby, what are you still doing here? Get the fuck out!" Draco yelled, raising his wand. Dobby did not move, so Draco sent a green blast. It merely bounced off Dobby.

"House elves magic very strong is, knowing you. Me not have master, Dobby uses magic as Dobby fit sees. You not have magic enough hurt me to. But Dobby will leave. Dobby will take Winky too." A loud pop ensued and Dobby disappeared.

"Just how much magic do they have?" asked Draco.

"Quite a bit, actually," Hermione said. "I don't see him as a threat, though. He'll probably go find Potter's grave and grieve himself to death. I want to see my new quarters now. Come Draco." She stood up, nodded to Lucius, and walked out of the Great Hall. Draco followed her to the Astronomy Tower, which would be their new home for the next ten months.

Hermione looked around, disgusted. "Nothing here is suitable. Draco, make this room look like the chamber at the cabin. A very special place to us."

He obeyed, and Hermione looked around satisfied. She waved her wand at the fireplace and a roaring fire appeared. They looked at each other and smiled. Wordlessly, they headed for the bed. They didn't emerge until they were both exhausted and famished. They went back to the Great Hall, where the Hogwarts house elves had prepared a small feast for the three occupants.

"Father, I wanted to talk to you about Quidditch. No doubt, with almost the entire Gryffindor team dead," he laughed, "Slytherin can win the cup this year. Madam Hooch is staying on, as well?"

"Yes, yes," Lucius said absent-mindedly. "What are you talking about?" He snapped back to the conversation.

"Father, I love quidditch. Thank you for keeping it on."

"Yes, yes, well, I suppose I could give you and your girlfriend your choice of activities. Whatever you want, make it happen," he went back to looking at parchment, once in a while reaching around it to get a bite of roast chicken.

"Well, I think quidditch is stupid," Hermione stated. Draco's head snapped up from his plate.

"Stupid? How can you think it's stupid? You don't seem to mind the body it's given me, you seem to enjoy it quite a lot!"

Lucius peeked his head out from over a parchment, giving them a dirty look. Hermione blushed. "Really, I don't need the details."

The rest of the food disappeared, and Hermione rose. "I'm going to have a bath. It seems we have a long day ahead of us." She walked around the table to Lucius' side. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, sir."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "It's Lucius, except in front of professors and students."

"Of course."

As she walked away, she silently said to Draco, Care to join me?

Twenty minutes later, they had magically added a luxurious bathroom to their tower. The tub was larger than that of the prefects bathroom, and along one wall of the room appeared to be a tropical rainforest, with trees, greenery and exotic birds. In one corner was a large shower stall. Draco reentered the bathroom with the towels and robes Hermione had asked for. He stopped. All he could do was stare. She was in the glass-enclosed shower stall, her back to him, her hands washing her hair. The hot water was starting to fog up the glass. Steam poured from the shower. Draco slipped out of his clothes silently, and snuck into the stall.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She jumped, and then smiled when she realized it was him. She didn't turn around, but she pulled her hands from her hair and wrapped one around her waist, clasping fingers with Draco. The other arm she raised further, reaching behind her to stroke the back of Draco's head, which was bent down as he was kissing her neck. He roughly pushed her against the wall, instinctivly she used her arms to brace herself against the wall. His hands caressed her breasts, and then moved down her body. He clutched her hips, and pulled her body against his, still kissing her neck. A soft moan escaped her lips. She reached behind herself and pushed Draco away, and turned to face him. His mouth immediately found hers, and their tongues waged a war of their own, not able to get enough of the other. Draco's hands slip down her hips, under her bottom, where he grabbed her and pulled her up. Her legs wrapped around his wet body, and she welcomed him inside her. They didn't enter each others minds this time, but their power coursed through both bodies until they shook with pleasure. Hermione felt herself reaching climax, and reached up and grabbed Draco's hair, yanking his head back away from her. His mouth decended again upon her neck, and her fingers dug into his back as she screamed her climax. Draco emptied himself inside her at the same time she came. They continued kissing, and their kisses became slower, more relaxed. Hermione slowly unwrapped her legs from his body, and stood on shaky legs. She brought her hands up to his face, gently brushing her fingers against it. The kisses stopped, but their faces stayed but an inch apart. They looked into each others eyes, and simultaneously said, "I love you."

Several minutes later, they climbed into their bed, which Hermione wandlessly made more comfortable than the one in the cabin. They lay under a blood red comforter, atop black silk linens. The fire was slowly dying in the fireplace, and just a small ray of moonlight shone through the window. As the last embers died out, Draco reached out to touch a sleeping Hermione's face. She smiled in her sleep, and moved closer to his warm body. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Mmm," she began to stir. Sleepily her eyes opened, and she smiled up at him. Silently, she reached out for him, pulling him down to meet her waiting lips. They silently made love for the second time that evening.

* * *

Morning came too soon. Neither had gotten enough sleep, but were anxious for the arrival of Draco's mother, Bronwyn, and Avery. The house elves had made a wonderful breakfast, but Hermione only ate fruit. "You want me to get fat so no one else will look at me?" She'd snapped when Draco asked her if that was all she wanted. Draco decided not to pursue it. Even Dark women were nuts.

After breakfast, Hermione had planned on going around the castle to check on things. There was so much more that needed to be addressed. Draco had been telling Avery and Bronwyn about the changes in faculty and classes. As Hermione rounded the corner, headed for the Herbology green houses, she met face to face with Narcissa. Hermione knew Narcissa liked her, but she still felt a little uneasy about being alone with her lover's mother.

"Narcissa, you're looking lovely today," she said. "I was just about to check on the greenhouses. Care to join me?"

"That I will," she said. They wordlessly entered, and Hermione went down one row of plants as Narcissa went down another. Occasionally they would reach out and check under a plant's leaves, or do a bit of pruning.

The silence was finally broken. "Hermione, I know you're sleeping with my son."

Hermione's head jerked up, and she looked at Narcissa, scared. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"What, did you think I forgot what it was like to be young? Please, Lucius and I have been 'together' since we were your age." She walked over to Hermione, who had not moved. "But don't you dare think about making me a grandmother. Not yet."

Hermione eased up a little, half smiled. Then she screwed up her face. "I, uh... I just realized we haven't been taking precautions." Although Hermione had been in the wizarding world for over five years now, she only knew about muggle birth control. She'd always assumed there was a magical alternative, but in her quest for her new destiny, it had never crossed her mind.

"Not to worry. I have a bit of seer's blood. I checked, you're not with child. But that was just luck so far. To keep it that way, I'll mix you a potion. It will act as permanent protection, until you decide it's time for a baby, and take the antedote."

"Oh, Mrs. Malfoy, I don't know what to say! This is really quite awkward. I- uh, thank you."

Narcissa picked the blossoms off a few different plants. "Come on. We're going to the dungeons to work. I've decided to take Lucius' offer, and be the new potions master. Such a shame, really, that one fo the most brilliant potions masters Hogwarts had seen in years, is now incapacitated at St Mungo's. Couldn't remain faithful, that Snape. I also see we won't be having that problem with you, dear girl. No, you will be faithful to the Dark Lord forever." Narcissa swiftly turned and exited the greenhouses. Hermione hurried after her, heading for the dungeons.

* * *

It had been a long day. Hermione was in bed before Draco returned to the tower that night. She was wearing a white satin nightgown that covered everything. Draco found this irresistable. Hermione had several scrolls on the bed with her and was looking them over. She hadn't noticed him in the doorway yet. He leaned against the frame, and just stared at her incredibly beauty. He couldn't believe the gorgeous woman sharing his bed had once been awkward, gawky, bushy-haired and big toothed.

"I've you to thank for the nice teeth." Her head snapped up to meet his eyes. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even know I was in your mind!" She looked horrified.

"It's okay, love. Our connection runs deep," he said, sitting on the bed next to her, "sometimes we can't control entering the other's minds. Especially when you don't know I'm standing there, staring at you. God, you look beautiful." He leaned over to kiss her lips. "You've got to admit, though, it was rather funny when I cursed your teeth to grow long." He ducked as she swung at him. She didn't miss. She apparenty caught him off balance, because next thing she knew, he was on the floor. She leaned over the edge of the bed. "Draco?" she asked cautiously. "are you okay?"

He lunged upward and grabbed her, pulling her down on top of him. She squealed with delight. The rolled on the rug, tickling each other and threatening mild curses. "Stop it, stop it, please! I'll be good, I swear!" Hermione was laughing so hard, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Swear?" he asked, sneering.

"Yes," she said, breathlessly. He finally stopped the tickling assault. A new assault started, between their tongues. As they kissed, Hermione reached up to pull off Draco's shirt. She slid his pants off as well, and reached up to slide the straps of her gown off.

"No, don't," Draco said, kissing her neck. "It's gorgeous. It drives me crazy. Leave it on." His hand sneaked up her thigh, caressing the pale skin beneath the material. He found her wetness and teased her mercilessly. He couldn't stand it anymore, he pushed the gown up and slid his body between her legs. As he entered her, she gasped. Almost an hour later, they lay together, wrapped in each other's arms on a bearskin rug in front of the fire. Draco had conjured a quilt to keep her warm. Hermione had almost drifted to sleep when he asked her, "Hermione?"

"Mmm?" she murmured, snuggling closer to her.

"You're, uh, on The Potion, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she murmered drowsily. "Your mum gave it to me today." She drifted back to sleep, as Draco's eyes popped wide open. His mother? Oy!


	12. 12

_A/N: newly added scene. Warning, its Lucius and Narcissa, but its good! Review. Thanks._

* * *

"We have won a major battle, but not yet the war. Presently, we must allow muggles to exist in a parallel universe, but not for long. However, if they stumble upon us, or step in our way, they will be killed." 

"Lucius, what the hell are you doing?" Narcissa asked, stepping out of the shadows.

Lucius spun around quickly to face her. "Oh, uh, Narcissa dear, I didn't know you were there."

"Obviously."

"I was practicing my 'Welcome to Hogwarts speech.' Draco says there's always a huge announcement at the first feast, after the sorting ceremony. Dear, shall we tell the hat not to put anyone in Gryffindor this year?"

"No," she said. "I'm sure you'll find quite a bit of bad blood in that house. As in the others, too. Have you gotten together the plans for the training camp for seventh year boys?" The light from the fire flickered, casting shadows across her face.

Lucius found this irresistable, and forgot about training camps and speeches. He rushed toward her, grabbing her head roughly and pulling her into a passionate kiss. When she finally pulled away for air, her face was flushed and she was breathing heavy. "Lucius," she said in a throaty voice, "you haven't kissed me like that in months! What's come over you? No, don't tell me, I don't bloody care. Take me right here!"

He grabbed her up, and gently laid her on one of the tables in the Great Hall. He tried to tease her with soft kisses, but she'd have none of that. She grabbed the back of his head with both hands and brought his face swiftly to hers. Keeping one hand in his long white hair, the other was busy ripping off his clothes.

He steadied his body by bracing one arm against the table, the other was fighting with the buttons of her blouse. Her bare breasts finally exposed, he left her mouth and devoured a taught nipple. She arched her back and moaned with pleasure. He kissed a trail down her stomach, his hands a step ahead of his lips, as he unfastened her skirts. He roughly shoved them off, and she moved a bit to finish disrobing Lucius. He pushed her back down, and continued kissing her lower body. She had no idea what made Lucius this...this... hot! but she sure as hell wasn't going to complain. He now had one of her legs in his hands, teasing kisses up from her ankle, his tongue gracing the back of her knee, teeth grazing her inside thigh, slowly, tauntingly moving higher. Her hands found themselves fisted in his hair, and she could take the torture no more. She yanked his head backward, his eyes met with hers. He let out a soft breath, which was exhaled upon her wetness. She shivered, he smirked. He teased her a few more seconds, until she was squirming beneath him, needing release. He lowered his head again, and flicked his tongue against her flesh. Her deep throaty moan pushed him over the edge, and as she rocked her hips against his face. Finally, what she'd wanted, what she'd needed, she came. Lucius slowly, torturously kissed her stomach, her torso, and he moved to find her sweet spot on the side of her neck. She was regaining her sanity from the first orgasm, and he was quickly driving her to another. She reached between their bodies, attempting again to loosen his pants, and found him willing this time. She roughly shoved them down, and then wrapped her legs around his waist and put her arms beneath his,which were bracing against the table, and scraped her fingernails along his shoulderblades. He entered her slowly, agonizingly and she shuddered. He thrust deeply inside her, each of her throaty moans driving him faster. She began licking his throat, and he growled. The sound rose goosebumps over her flesh as she pierced the skin of his back with her long fingernails. Quickly he pulled back. She lazily opened her eyes and looked up at him. He stood, and pulled her body up against his. He ran a fingertip along her cheek, down her shoulder, and then her arm. When he reached her wrist, he grabbed it and spun her around. She bend and laid her torso against the rough wood of the table. His hands ran down her back, her waist, and roughly grabbed her ass, as he thrust himself inside her again. She'd always loved it doggystyle. Immediately she screamed as another orgasm began. He pumped into her roughly, quickly, deeply. Sweat broke out on his brow as he felt himself getting closer to his own climax. Her back arched and she bucked against him. That was all he needed, he released inside her as he felt her come too. He collapsed on top of her, spent and panting. His face was against her face. He kissed her cheek, then stood back up. He slowly pulled himself out of her, and she turned over. She held out her hand, and he helped her off the dining table. He led her over to a rug in front of the roaring fire, where they laid together, silently.

* * *

Hermione and Draco, hand in hand, were looking for Avery. "Maybe he's in the Great Hall," said Draco. They turned and headed for that direction. Hermione reached the doorway first, and stopped short at what she saw. Lucius and Narcissa were laying on the rug, naked, lost in each other. 

"God, I forgot how good you were at torture," Narcissa purred.

"One of the benefits of making love to a Death Eater," Lucius said, lowering his head for a kiss.

"Hermione, why did you stop?" Draco said, still in the hallway.

Hermione quickly turned around, not wanting Draco to see. "Shhh!" she said," He's not in there! Let's look somewhere else!" She was grateful Draco didn't see anything, and even more grateful the lovebirds didn't hear she and Draco. NOT something she wanted to interrupt, she thought.

"But, Hermione, I heard voices in there. Who was in there, what were they talking about? Is it a meeting we should be in on?" he asked confusedly, as she hurried him down the hall.

"No, believe me, baby, you do NOT want in on what's in there!"

* * *

That evening, all who were presently at Hogwarts joined together in the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione had gone on about not being hungry, couldn't they just skip dinner, please. 

"But I'm hungry!" Draco said.

"Well then have the elves bring you up something. Please Draco, I don't want to go to the Great Hall. Not after-" she caught herself. She was sure Draco knew his parents shagged, but she didn't think he needed to know they went at it right there in the Great Hall. Luckily for Hermione, she hadn't seen them doing it on the Slytherin table!

But, when he heard her stomach rumble, she knew she had to give up. Pouting, she let him lead her to the Great Hall. Hermione didn't take her eyes off her plate. She couldn't face Lucius and Narcissa after what she saw, even if they didn't know she saw.

"--don't you think, Hermione?"

"Huh?" Her head whipped up, finally noticing Lucius was talking to her. "Sorry, what?"

"I SAID," Lucius repeated, annoyed, "these steaks aren't rare enough for my liking, we should have the elves regrill them, don't you think, Hermione?"

"Oh, yes, yes, not enough blood to them, I agree."

What the hell is up with you, Hermione? Draco silently asked.

I just, er, I don't want to talk about it right now.

Why aren't you paying attention to my father?

What's with all the questions?

Hermione, wha-

Fine, I'll tell you! she mentally screamed at him. I saw your parents fucking in here this afternoon, so excuse me if I'm having trouble looking them in the eye!

Draco's eyes widened, he looked at her horrified.

"You kids having an 'in the head' fight?" asked Narcissa, noticing the looks they'd been giving each other.

Draco's horrified gaze turned to his mother. His jaw dropped, and he couldn't speak, which was a good thing, because what would he have said? You're too old to fuck? Ha! They were only 36, they had him quite young, at the height of Voldemort's first reign.

"Draco?" His mother looked at him quizzically. "Draco, what's wrong? Hermione, what did you say to him? I've never seen him speechless."

Hermione looked again at her plate, blushing to a profuse shade of red.

Draco stumbled away from the seating bench, still wide-eyed. He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her from the table. She normally would object to being manhandled, but this time was silent. They quickly fled from the room.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Lucius, eating ravenously, as he'd exerted too much energy earlier.

"You think she just told him she's giving him an heir?" asked Avery. "That would shock the hell out of anyone."

"No, there will be heir, not for a while. I put Hermione on The Potion earlier."

"The Potion? Why?" Lucius asked. "The Dark Lord would be most pleased if they had an evil child."

Narcissa looked at him coldly. "I'm too young to be a grandmother, and they shouldn't have children as young as we did. I wouldn't give Draco up for anything, but dammit, Lucius, don't you wish we had more time to ourselves first?"

"I think I'll be leaving now," said Avery, standing up. Bronwyn followed.

"Argh!" Narcissa screamed, rolling her eyes. "Stay." She said, looking at the men. "I'm the one leaving. Lucius, I suggest you join me." She stormed out, leaving Lucius speechless.

"Gonna go follow your 'boss?'" Bronwyn sneered.

"Hell yes I am!" Lucius jumped up quickly. "She's a freakin animal in bed when she thinks she's worried about getting old!" He ran after her, and the other Death Eaters laughed, shaking thier heads and returned to their bloody steaks.

* * *

Back in their own tower, Draco and Hermione were lying on the couch, watching the fire in the hearth. He was mindlessly twirling a strand of her hair. Then he spoke. "So, they weren't actually screwing, right? I mean, they were just naked on the floor?" 

"Draco, that's enough. If you don't stop thinking about your parents' sex lives, you'll never be able to sleep with me again, and I'm feeling a little frisky."

He raised his head off the pillow and looked down at her. Her head was resting on his chest. She moved her eyes to look up at him. He raised an eyebrow and she smiled. Her hands slowly moved up his body, staying above his shirt. The couch was quite large, so they could easily lay together on it. She rose on an elbow, and began kissing his stomach through the fabric. She surprised him by not moving toward his mouth for a kiss, but moving downward. Her tongue flicked the small strip of exposed flesh where his shirt ended, and he looked down at her. She was unfastening his belt buckle, and slid his pants down a bit.

Fuck! Draco though, as she took him in her mouth. His eyes widened as he looked down at her. He lay back heavily, he couldn't believe she was doing _this_! Not that he minded, no, but it just didn't seem very Hermione like. Draco let out a weird, choppy moan as she went deeper. His hands fisted in her hair, and after several minutes, he began gently pushing her head in a rhythm he liked. When he'd released, Hermione slinkily crawled up his body, smiling seductively. He was still in shock as to what she'd just done, she told him before it was gross, so he let the subject go. When her body was directly above his, he reached a hand to her face. He gently caressed her cheek. "Hermione," he whispered. "You're so beautiful. I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered back, and slowly leaned in to him for a long, lingering kiss. Draco gently rolled her over, so he was now atop her. She reached out to unbutton his shirt, and as it slid off his shoulders, she reached for another kiss.

"Not yet," he whispered, "It's my turn to please you." He trailed kisses down her stomach and slid a hand up her silky thigh, under her skirt. He was most pleased to find she wasn't wearing panties, only a garter belt, which he found dead sexy. He slowly descended upon her heat, and grinned as she squirmed. Then he began.


	13. 13

They never made it to the bedchamber that night. After endless hours of making love, they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms, on the oversized couch. The once roaring fire had slowly burnt out, leaving only red glowing embers. A cool draft blew through the room, causing Hermione to shiver. Unconsciously, still asleep, Draco's arms tightened around her. It wasn't enough, her naked body was still cold. She awoke, groggily, to find a blanket. She couldn't find her want, and was too exhausted to summon one without it. Finding a quilt, she was about to return to the love of her life on the couch, maybe wake him up for a half-asleep-am-I-dreaming-or-is-this-real fuck, when she heard a faint tapping. What the hell was that? She looked around, her eyes still adjusting to the dark. Her gaze was pulled toward the window, and she saw the outline of an owl. For the love of evil, who the hell was messengering her at this hour? It wasn't even close to dawn, judging from the darkness outside. She opened the window to the owl, and as it fluttered inside looking for a perch, she tossed the quilt over Draco's nude body. The owl finally happily situated, it held out a leg for her to remove the scroll. Once removed, the owl did not move. Hermione went back to the window, sitting in an antique velvet and mahogany chair. Unrolling the parchment, she reached toward a lantern and slowly turned up the light, just enough to let her read, not enough to stir Draco. Might as well read it now, she was already fully awake. Not recognizing the handwriting, she looked back up at the owl. Hedwig! What the hell was she doing here? Annoyed, she scanned the letter.

_Hermione,_

_My love, when Albus told me of the attack, I dared not to believe it. My first thought was that Malfoy must have put you under the Imperius curse. Surely, if you think hard enough, you will be able to remember him doing so. Albus and Minerva agree that you're turning into a Death Eater could not have been of your own free will. You are a very strong witch, Hermione. You have the power inside yourself to break the curse, you've only to try. Concentrate, my love, and the curse will be counteracted. I've seen your power, Hermione, I've felt it. You can do this, break free of him. After you regain control of yourself, you must NOT let him know that you are now aware! Carry on as usual, I will be along to rescue you, as soon as my strength is replenished. You know how the full moon drains me. Three days, my love. Just keep pretending, three more days. I'll come for you then, I'll wait for you in the pumpkin patch near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I know you love me, as much as I love you._

_Until then, my sweet,_

_Remus_

Hermion reread the letter three times. What the fuck? Hermione finally stood up for herself, did what she wanted, instead of brainstorming how Harry Potter would next defeat Voldemort, finally found out who she truly was, and they didn't believe her? She was mad. She was more than mad, she was pissed. She balled up the parchment and threw it into the fireplace. The fire had long ago extinguished, so it just lay on top of the ashes. How dare Remus? Hermione was her own person, with her own goddamn brain, thank you very much, and she had decided, of her own frigging free will to become a Death Eater. She paced the room, trying to calm herself down. Who the hell cared what Remus fucking Lupin and that quack Dumbledore thought of her? She'd show them the fucking Imperius curse, Imperius them right into fucking oblivion.

Hermione heard a screech and looked up. The fucking owl was still there! Wanting payment for delivery, she assumed. She'd give her fucking payment. She darted toward the owl, reached out to grab and wring its neck, but Hedwig diverted. Her long talons cut a gash in Hermione's outstretched arm, and escaped out the window. Hermione swore.

The rucus awoke Draco. "What the hell is going on here?" he grumbled. Draco was not someone who appreciated being woken up. His annoyance was quickly gone when he saw a still naked Hermione clutching her bleeding arm.

Gentler, "Baby, what happened? How did you get cut?" He reached out for her, put an arm around her shoulder from the opposite direction of her wound, and led her to a seat.

"That fucking Remus Lupin!" Hermione spat, a new wave of anger arriving. "He sent Potter's owl, saying he knew this wasn't really me, that you Imperialed me into becoming what I am now. Like I can't make my own goddamn decisions."

Draco tried to pry her hand off the wound, but she recoiled. "Let me see it," he said.

"It's fine, it's just a damn claw mark." She jerked her arm away from him, but blood pulsed between her fingers.

"I said let me see it," Draco repeated softly yet firmly. She held her arm out to him, and he aptly applied pressure with one hand, reaching for the quilt with the other. He pressed the quilt to the gash, and then took her free hand, pressing it tight on the wound. "Don't let go of this." He got up quickly and returned a moment later wearing a black robe, draping a second one around Hermione's shoulders. He also had a bandage, and patched up her arm. "That will do, my love, until dawn comes and we can have Mother fix it. I'm no good at healing. Now what about Lupin? What did he do to get you so upset?"

She told him about the letter. "I'm so stupid. I don't even know why I got so worked up about it. It's just that I was half asleep, I was naked, and I was freezing, and I didn't want to be interrupted by a bloody owl. I guess I overreacted," she said the last bit sheepishly.

"Baby, if you were cold, I could have warmed you up," he said, kissing her temple.

"That was my plan, after I'd found the quilt."

"Where's the letter?"

"In the fireplace."

Draco reached into the cusions of the sofa, where his wand must have gotten shoved during their bouts last night. "Accio." The balled up parchment came to him. He flattened it out and read. "What a git," he said, rolling his eyes. "Of course, you ARE so incredible, can't fault him for loving you. But you only kissed him a couple times, why the hell is he so head over heels for you?"

"I don't know," Hermione sighed. She leaned back on the cushions. "That damn owl hurt me, and the blood loss is making me weak," she pouted.

"Please, Hermione," Draco huffed. "You barely bled at all. Quit being such a baby." He didn't want to get in a fight over a stupid little scratch. But it wasn't that little. It did really bleed a lot. But it had stopped bleeding as quickly as it started. He looked toward her from the corner of his eye. She was laying back on the same couch as he, he sitting at her feet. With her patched up arm, she was slowly opening the robe he'd just put on her. A look of seduction glinted in her eyes, and she silently bade him to come to her. Not entering his mind, just with that look. Her tongue flicked out of her mouth, licking those pouting lips. He could't resist her, he never could. Shifting his weight, he slowly descended on her, grasping that tongue of hers between his teeth. He took ahold of her injured arm and stretched it up over her head, to dangle off the back of the sofa. Pulling back, his fingers grazed her arm, trailing back to her body, down her side, resting on her hip. Her other arm fisted in his hair, so messy and sexy from sleep. He kissed her tenderly, like he had their first night together. A soft moan escaped her lips. Her hand left his hair, and slowly pushed off his robes. His hand trailed lower down her body, to her leg. He broke the kiss, leaning up, and pulled her legs up over his shoulders. He slid into her, could feel her quivering beneath him immediately. Her injured arm behind her, she fisted her hand in her own hair, her other arm reaching between their entwined bodies and gently scraping his torso. He growled, and began pumping harder. His hands reached under her body, grabbing her ass hard and pulling her hips against his own. Each of this thrusts were met with one of her own, and as she reached climax and screamed out his name, he reached his own peak. He had dug his fingers so hard into her ass that he'd left marks. He collapsed on top of her, their sweaty chests heaving still. He kissed her jawline, as she whispered her love in his ear. Her legs slowly unwrapped themselves from his hot body, and they lay there together, still joined, drifting off to sleep as the sun began to rise.

---

The morning found them sleep depraved, but happy. As they ate breakfast in the Great Hall with Draco's parents, Bronwyn and Avery, Draco kept sneaking images into her head. She tried to look down at her eggs and ignore him but wasn't able to. She giggled, and reached across the table to smack him playfully. As she did, her robes slid up her arm, exposing the bandage Draco had applied the night before. Lucius saw this, and reached out and grabbed her arm. The silent parlay ended abruptly.

"What's this?" he asked, examining the gauze.

"Hermione was attacked last night by Potter's owl." Draco said, disgusted.

"Why didn't you go to Narcissa for healing?" Lucius demanded.

"It was late, or early and I didn't want to disturb you. Draco patched it up fine, it's fine." She tried to pull her arm back, but Lucius didn't let go.

"Father, she's fine," Draco dared, hoping not to anger his father.

"'Fine' is not having an owl entered your quarters while you sleep. 'Fine' is not having you bleed at the table."

Hermione looked down at her arm, which had begun to seep through the bandage. The scabs must have loosened when her arm was twisted by Lucius.

"Leave her be, Lucius, I'll fix it when I'm done eating," Narcissa spoke up.

Hermione hung her head, wishing to be anywhere but here.

"What happened with the owl? How did it get in?"

Hermione gave a G-rated version of the night before, saying she thought she might have actually been dreaming when she opened the window. Then she told him about the letter.

"Where is it now?" he said.

Draco reached into a pocket of his robes and extracted the crumpled parchment. Lucius' eyes darted back and forth as he read the scrawly handwriting. "You got the bloody werewolf to fall in love with you?" he asked.

"Yes, sir-"

"Lucius," he stated.

"Yes, Lucius, when I was spying on the Order. That's how I got into the upper-level meetings." Her eyes still did not meet his.

"This will be sorted out later. Narcissa, heal the girl. Gentlemen," he said to Bronwyn and Avery, "come. We've work to do." He foled up the parchment and slid it into his pocket. The three older men rose and left the Great Hall.

Narcissa, Draco and Hermione sat in silence, Narcissa being the only one eating. Hermione picked at a strawberry, not hungry anymore, no longer giddy from her secret 'talk's with Draco. She was extracting every tiny seed, and putting them in a pile on the left side of her plate. The unwanted red flesh of the berry was discarded on her napkin. Draco looked across the table at her, wondering why she was so sullen now. It's not as if Lucius was mad at her, or .... What is it? he silently asked her.

Her head jerked up, looking him in the eye, and said aloud, "He'll make me go back. He'll make me bloody go back and be a spy again, so he can serve Dumbledore to the Dark Lord."

"And this is a problem, why?" asked Narcissa.

"Because he always wants to touch me, Lupin that is. I got away with only small kisses before, he thought that because of my age I was innocent, and when I said no, he didn't push. But at the end of my stay there, he kept going a little further each time, and 'no' didn't seem to be enough anymore. He kept asking why. I don't want to go back to that, Narcisssa. I don't want that werewolf's hands on me." She looked Narcissa directly in the eye.

Draco had silently started fuming, thinking of another man, er, wolf, touching his woman. It was bad enough when she was staying at the Order that she had to let him hold her hand and kiss her cheek. He didn't know Lupin was pressuring her for more. He assumed the old pervert would have known better than to try and bed her. His hands balled into fists inside his pockets. His nostrils flared slightly, and Narcissa noticed this out of the corner of her eye, but she said to Hermione, "So let him have his fun. Once Dumbledore's dead body is on display for the whole magical world to see, there will never again be a doubt as to the Dark Lord's reign. It's not like you're a virgin, right?"

"N-no," Hermione studdered, "but, I, uh, I've only been with one man, and I don't want that to change," she said meekly. She noticed Draco's fury growing, his face was turning red and he was almost losing the battle within himself to stay calm.

"After following Harry Potter and that poor boy around for five years, being inseperable, are you honestly going to tell me you never fucked either one of them?"

Hermione looked right in Narcissa's eyes. "No," she said firmly. "And before you ask, I only kissed Harry once, right before he betrayed me and sent me here." She stood up silently, and stalked out of the room.

"What the hell are you trying to do to her, Mother?" Draco roared. "She's pure! Why would you want her to fuck Lupin? He's the enemy, dammit!" Draco was standing now, screaming at his mother. "She's proven herself to Voldemort! She took the Dark Mark! Let me tell you something, Mother," he spat the last word, leaning down to be face to face with her, "She's mine now, and she will NOT go back to her old life. Her life is with me now. Don't you dare try to change it." He spun on his heel and fled the room.

Narcissa continued eating her eggs. Her little boy, her baby, really was in love.


	14. 14

Draco found Hermione crying in their tower. She was huddled on the edge of the couch, hands wrapped around her knees.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm not letting him send you back there." He soothingly put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her against his chest.

"And what choice do we have in the matter? Once he tells Voldemort about their stupid rescue attempt, he'll want me to go, too. I can't not do what he asks."

"I know, but we'll figure something out."

"Like what? I'm going back there, there's not going to be a choice. I'll just have to do it." She faced away from him.

"You're NOT letting that filthy werewolf touch you!" Draco took a deep breath, trying to calm down again. He took Hermione's chin in his hand and gently pulled her face to his. He gave her a soft kiss, and wiped away her tears. "Look, if you really have to go, we'll...we'll... I don't know, charm you so that if he does touch you, he'll get burnt, or something."

Hermione smiled slightly, not at his joke, which was lame, but at his attempt. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he held her silently, until they were interrupted by a knock at the portrait.

Hermione opened the portal, and Lucius and Avery came in.

"We've discussed it, and came up with a perfect plan. The Dark Lord is most pleased, might I add." He swept into the sitting area, taking a seat across from the couch. Avery leaned against a table.

"What is it, Lucius?" Hermione asked, not wanting to hear, but knowing she'd have to do it anyway.

Lucius pulled a seashell out of his pocket and placed it on the end table.

Hermione and Draco looked at it quizzically. "We're going to the beach?" Hermione asked.

Lucius and Avery burst out laughing. "The beach, ha! What the hell are we going to do at the beach?" Avery chuckled and got up to sit on a chair opposite Lucius. "No, this, dear Hermione, is a sort of reverse portkey. When that imbecile comes to rescue you, you'll have this in your pocket. As soon as he gets you to Dumbledore, you'll activate the portkey by pressing on the inside of the shell. Lucius, Draco and I will leave Hogwarts grounds so we can apparate to where you are. It's like a tracking device. We don't have to know exactly where you are for it to work, the charm on the shell will lead us straight to it."

"I haven't heard of reverse portkeys before," Hermione said warily. "Are you sure it will work?"

"Of course it will!" Lucius said. "We've just come back from Hogsmeade, where we tried it out. So, now we strategize. Hermione, you've two days till the 'rescue attempt.' When Lupin comes to get you, just go along with whatever he says. Say you were Imperialized, say you were Crucioed, whatever you think he wants to hear."

Draco started to say something, but was cut off by Lucius holding up a hand. "I know what you're going to say, son. Narcissa told me what happened in the Hall. But Hermione," he said, turning to her, "You're only going to have to put up with him for a short while, until he takes you to Dumbledore. Once he does, act as if you want to hug the old bat or such, and sprinkle this-" he tossed a satchel on the table next to the seashell-" on him. It's an anti-apparating powder. He won't be able to get away this time."

"I don't want her to go!" Draco stood up. "She's not going back to that grabby werewolf! She won't be subjected to his hands touching her! She's done more than enough for the Dark Lord, she doesn't need to do this, too!"

Hermione wished she could just disappear at that moment.

Avery sat and watched, amused at Draco's outburst, wondering how Lucius would handle this.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at Draco. He slowly stood, looking up at Draco, who was a couple inches taller than he. "She will do as I say, and you will not put a stop to it. Don't defy me again, Draco. I won't have it, and the Dark Lord won't have it." He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

"Prepare yourself, Hermione," Avery stated, leaving as well.

It became very quiet in the room. Neither spoke for a while. Then, "You shouldn't have done that, Draco. Your father is mad at you now, and he's right, there's nothing either of us can do to change what needs to be done. I have to go."

"No!" he yelled, making her jump. "You're staying here where you bloody well belong!" He rushed to her, pulled her roughly up, and yanked her to the bedroom. He shoved her roughly on the bed, and surprising her, turned and left.

--

Fury coursed through his veins as he went after his Father. When he found him, Lucius was alone, reading over some parchment. Draco went up to his father and ripped the paper out of his hands. Looking up, amused, Lucius met Draco's eyes.

"She's not going. That beast touched her before, when she was a spy. She's mine, do you hear me? She won't be touched by anyone but me!" Fire burned in Draco's eyes. Lucius had never seen him like this, and it amused him.

"It's not up to you, boy," Lucius said.

"The hell it's not! I won't let you send her, Father. She's staying here with me. Unless you'd rather your Head Boy and Girl drop out of school before their final year even starts."

"You're saying you'd leave if I made her go?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Draco spat.

Lucius pulled out his wand. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you, son, but you leave me no choice." He cast the Imperius spell over Draco, who had reached for his own wand to deflect, but realized he'd left it back in his room. The blast hit Draco's shoulder, causing him to stumble back. He continued to stare at his father.

"No, run along, son, and tell Hermione to owl the werewolf, to say she'll be in the pumpkin patch as planned."

"Yes, Father." Draco turned and walked out of the room.

---

Draco stepped through the portrait hole into his and Hermione's tower. He trudged up the stairs to their bedroom, and flung open the door. Hermione was still on the bed, and had been crying. He rushed over to her, holding her.

"Baby, please don't cry. I'm sorry I blew up on you like that. I didn't mean to upset you," he stroked her hair and shushed her.

"Draco, how am I going to get away with not going?"

"What are you talking about? Of course you're going." Draco leaned down to kiss her, but she backed away. "What's wrong? Don't you want to serve Voldemort? You'll please him greatly by doing this."

She scooted backward across the bed, trying to get away from him. Her feet found the stone floor, and she stood up, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Draco, what the hell is wrong with you? I know I have to go, there's no arguing that, but why the hell are you so for this now?"

"I've always been for this," he said, lying down on the bed. He patted the space next to him, motioning her to come back to bed.

"Draco, you're the one that said you don't want Lupin to put his hands on me!" she cried.

Something flickered in Draco's eyes, and he broke through the curse. "Dammit!" he yelled, standing up. Hermione was starting to freak out now. "That bastard! He imperiused me in the library, just now!"

"Your own father did that to you?" Hermione asked. Sure, she could picture Lucius doing that to lots of people, but not Draco.

"Well, what do you expect from someone as evil as he is?" Draco said, calming back down. "I gues he just did that to remind us who's in charge here. And it sure as hell isn't us." He sat down on the bed, and pulled Hermione down on his lap. "I guess you're going to have to send an owl to Lupin, telling him to come get you." Hermione put her head down on his shoulder, giving up. It was settled; she was going back to the Order.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to all my lovely reviewers! Keep those reviews coming, and I might consider putting up those deleted sex scenes! Now I'm on the author alert lists of 32 people, so I'm hoping for quite a few reviews now! I know this chapter wasn't as great as the others, but I had to show that even though Lucius has a soft spot for Hermione, he's still an evil bastard, willing to do whatever it takes to please Voldemort. Even curse his son with an unforgivable spell. Next chapter will be steamy...if i get enough reviews :) 


	15. 15

_Thanks to all my loyal reviewers! I'm putting back up the deleted scenes from chapters 11 and 12, so go back and read them AND REVIEW! please :) Then come back and check out this chapter. ya know, you could even review the new chapter, plus the edited ones ;) May, dear, the chair...that's for you!

* * *

_

It was the day of the 'rescue.' Hermione and Draco were miserable. Knowing they only had eight hours left until they'd have to be apart for a while, they spent every second together, alone. They didn't even eat with the others. They had a romantic picnic under a leafy tree by the lake. The giant squid was nowhere to be seen that day, though neither noticed it wasn't there. Hermione was sitting cross-legged on a blanket, and Draco's head rested in her lap. She was stroking his ego by hand-feeding him everything. She just started teasing him with a grape, she'd dangle it in front of him, and pull it back when he tried to bite it. She did this a few times, and then when he raised his head higher for the food, she pulled it away again, and leaned down quickly and pressed her lips to his. It was a soft, sweet kiss, one meant to enjoy the moment, not to lead up to something else.

Draco motioned for Hermione to lay down next to him on the soft blanket. She rested her head against his chest and they looked up at the clouds. They were silent for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Hermione was so relaxed, listening to Draco's heartbeat, and Draco was playing with a strand of her hair, with his eyes closed, so neither of them immediately noticed the shadow that fell over them.

"Ahem." The both jumped, startled, and looked up to see Bronwyn.

Hermione scrambled up, and Draco rose to sitting position. "What?" Draco blankly asked.

Bronwyn was disgusted with the little love fest going on all over Hogwarts. He'd never say anything, though, as he was Lucius' inferior. Not that he didn't deserve to be held in just as high regard as Lucius, it was just the way it went. Lucius had produced and presented Draco to the Dark Lord, and now Hermione. Bronwyn offered only himself to Voldemort. He'd recruited people, lots of them, and they were good followers, but they couldn't hold a candle to what Hermione had done, serving Harry Potter to the Lord, practically on a silver platter.

"Your parents are fighting," he said to Draco. "About tonight's plans."

"Who cares?" Draco asked.

"It's getting pretty escalated. Narcissa is pissed that Lucius is sending Hermione into the enemy camp. Dumbledore won't be as welcoming to her this time around, and he's a legilmens. Narcissa thinks it's suicide; that he'll be able to tell right off. Lucius is obsessed with getting more praise from You-Know-Who."

"And what's your take on it?" questioned Hermione.

Bronwyn shrugged. "Don't rightfully know."

"Would you send the love of your life into that?" asked Draco, standing.

"No, guess I wouldn't. But Dumbledore doesn't know that Hermione can apparate, right?"

"I don't think so, but he did see me at the cabin that night, and he knows I didn't leave the Order until after I locked up Lupin in the basement. He arrived at the cabin probably only ten minutes after I did, so if I'd have to guess, I'd say that he does know. I didn't really know I could do it, and I'm not even positive I could do it again anyway. The only other times I've apparated is when someone's held on to me."

"I guess you're going to have to try your damnedest to convince Dumbledore you don't know how you got to the cabin that night and that you really were Imperialized. But you're only going to have to hold him off for a few minutes. As soon as Lupin gets you to the old bat, you activate the portkey and we'll be there instantaneously."

"I guess." Hermione looked down at her shoes. Then she realized she'd been doing that too much lately, and had no reason to be ashamed, so she held her head up high. "I'll just have to brush up on occlumency. Potter told me all about it last year, I'll head to the library and study up." She leaned down and put the picnic stuff away, lifted the basket, and walked back to the castle.

Alone with Bronwyn, Draco asked, "What if something goes wrong?"

"What CAN go wrong? You went over the plans. She just deals with Lupin until they get to the new headquarters. He'll probably apparate her there as soon as they are off Hogwarts grounds. She shouldn't be gone for more than an hour, Draco."

"He better not touch her," he said, getting worked up again.

Bronwyn rolled his eyes. "I think Lupin is going to have more on his mind than shagging your girl. He'll be so concerned with getting her to safety, which he thinks is Dumbledore, that he won't even be thinking of that."

"And how is it you know so much about what guys in love will do?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"I happen to be one," Bronwyn half-smiled.

"Oh? Who is she?"

"Gretchen Finch."

"Finch? Why is that familiar?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe Justin Finch-Fletchey? He's her kid. Mine too."

"What?" Draco asked incredulously? "He's a mudblood! He was petrified when Hermione and that Creevy creep were!"

"Yeah, well so was that cat. Besides, he only _thinks_ he's a mudblood. Gretchen and I have been secretly seeing each other for years. She's an informant, living in the muggle world, keeping us up to date on what's happening out there. Her family had other plans for her, didn't want her to marry a Death Eater, even though they were supporters. So she married Richard Fletchey, a muggle, and neglected to tell him she was a witch. So Justin did in fact grow up thinking he was a muggle. Still doesn't know the truth, though. I'm telling him soon. Gretchen doesn't want me to. Says he's attached to Rich and all. But it's just time. I need to know my own kid, ya know? I'll be here, teaching him for a year. Gretchen's gonna drop nifflers when she finds out I told him against her wishes, but she'll forgive me. Always does," his eyes twinkled, thinking of his lover. "I can get away with anything with her."

Draco's mouth had continued to drop lower and lower throughout the conversation. Justin Finch-Fletchey? A pureblood? What the hell was up with that? Just wait till Hermione found out! Justin went around boasting about some Eaton place, whatever that was, and was actually proud to have been 'muggle-born.' Boy was he in for a shock!

Draco and Bronwyn headed for the castle. "So, I assume Justin got his letter about the start of term feast?"

"Yeah, his mother is making him return to school against his will. I might need some help convincing him this is where he belongs. But don't tell Lucius he's so rebellious. You know what he'd do to him..." They fell silent for the rest of the walk to the castle, thinking about how Lucius imperialized Draco the previous day.

* * *

"I need someone to practice with," Hermione whined. "I think I've got it, but it needs tested."

"If I test you, will you shut up?" Draco asked.

"You can't test me, dumbass, our mental connection will let you in regardless."

"Bronwyn will help."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's a cool guy. We talked for a while after you left the lake. You won't beleive the skeletons in that guy's closet. Oops, forget I said that."

"Yeah right, you're going to tell me anyways, so just say it."

"Fine, but keep it between us. Don't even let him know you know, okay?"

Hermione promised. Draco told her how Justin Finch-Fletchey was really Bronwyn's son and how he was being forced to return to Hogwarts this year.

"Well, that should make for some nice fireworks," Hermione said. She stood up, grabbing the occlumency book. Draco followed her out of the library, in search of his new buddy. They found him in the Great Hall, going over notes before dinner. He agreed to help Hermione, but they didn't have much time.

"She won't need much time," Draco smiled proudly. "She's a bloody genius. She's probably got it figured out already."

And she did. They'd practiced for about forty-five minutes, until everyone else joined them in the Hall for the dinner the house elves had prepared.

"Ugh, can we please have something besides red meat once in a while?" Hermione asked as the rare steaks and fried potatoes appeared.

"You love steak," Lucius said. "Eat it and shut up."

Hermione sighed, taking a bite. "Sorry, dear Lucius. I'm just on edge. There's only three hours left."

"Have you got the shell and powder?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, they're in my satchel, in my room. I'll be sure to have them on me when I go to the pumpkin patch."

"Hermione is quite talented at occlumency," Bronwyn said. "We went over it for a while. I don't think Dumbledore will be able to get in her head. At least not without her knowing."

"Good, good," Lucius said, getting more potatoes. "Where's the bloody salt?"

* * *

Immediately after dinner, Draco and Hermione rushed up to their tower, to savor their last two hours together. Hermione had calmed down quite a bit since her practices with Bronwyn, but was still a bit edgy. She flopped down in a puffy chair near the fireplace, which she lit with her wand. Draco walked up behind her, kneading her shoulders.

"Mmm, that feels good," she said, closing her eyes and enjoying the soothing sensation his fingers were creating. Her head rolled from side to side, and Draco, taking advantage of the exposed tender flesh, leaned down and kissed her throat. Her hands reached up behind her, running through his soft hair. He managed to come around to the front of the chair without breaking the kiss, and knealt before her. He positioned his body between her knees, and moved his lips to hers. One hand trailed up her thigh, the other around her waist. He pulled her close, and they stood up together. They turned around, and Draco landed in the chair, pulling her down on top of him so she was stradling his body. Her hair fell in curtains around their faces. He loved how it tickled his shoulders. His arms wrapped tighter aruond her waist, pulling her as close as possible. He sneaked one hand up her shirt, unfastening her bra. She broke the kiss and lifted her shirt off and disposed of the lacy bra. She'd taken to wearing skirts regularly, which Draco loved. This one in particular was a green and black plaid kilt, fastened only by a large silver pin. He opened it, and slid the fabric away from her body, leaving her only in panties and socks. She reached back, still kissing him, and pulled off the later.

Draco, still fully clothed and feeling over dressed, kicked off his own shoes, and Hermione began unbuttoning his shirt and slowly slid it off his shoulders. Her lips left his, trailing down his jaw and to his shoulder, toned nicely from endless hours of Quidditch. She slid off his lap, removing his pants and briefs, and removing her own. He scooted down a bit, and she returned to his lap. He could feel her warmth on him, and he began to grow hard. His hands were now caressing her bare breasts, hers were on either side of his face. She reached one hand up to fist in his hair, and felt him quiver beneath her. He moved one hand to her backside, trying to pull their hips together, but she wouldn't let him. Not yet. His hand remained on her ass, gently squeezing. She grinded gently against him, teasingly. He was fully hard now, and could tell she was quite wet. His hand came around her body, and he slipped a finger into her warmth, causing her to gasp. He slid in another finger, and deftly pleasured her. Not able to stand it anymore, she grabbed his hand and put it back on her waist, and slammed down on him. She quickly found her rhythm, clutching his shoulders. She lifted her mouth from his for air, and his mouth devoured her sweet spot on her neck. He licked a bit lower, and found that he loved her reaction to his kissing her collarbone. His hands firmly grasped her buttocks, driving her harder onto his erection. Her soft moans were becoming more frequent and urgent. A light sheen of sweat had formed across her chest, and Draco licked it off. Taking a nipple into his mouth, he gently flicked it with his tongue, biting hard but not painfully. She began riding him harder, and was moaning with every breath now. He could feel the goosebumps arise on her flesh as she went into climax. He felt her fluids rush around his length. He felt he was close to release also and so grabbed her bottom with both his hands, digging his fingers into her soft yet firm flesh and pulled her down hard upon him. His moment of release came as hers was ending. She moaned out his name throatily.

Afterward, they stayed in the chair, entangled in each other's bodies. They held each other tightly, knowing that very soon they'd have to part while Hermione went back to the Order. A loud slamming sound startled both of them, and they jumped, looking for the cause. Lucius was standing in the doorway. Hermione slunk down into Draco's body, trying to cover herself.

"Blimey, don't you two every do anything but fuck? Get dressed. It's time." Lucius swiftly turned around and left, grateful he didn't see anything more than Hermione's bare ass, and not much of that, since Draco's hands were all over it. Thank God, he thought. If he'd seen more, he'd never be able to get the image out of his head, and believe him, his son's naked girlfriend was NOT something he needed floating around his head!

They got up and dressed quickly, Hermione changing into slightly baggy cargo pants and a lightweight white sweater. She ran to her dresser and grabbed the satchel with the portkey seashell and the anti-Apparating powder, and fixed it firmly on her belt. Hermione quietly, pretending to be sneaking, in case Lupin was already in the shadows, entered the pumpkin patch. She sat atop one of the smaller ones, which was as big as a footstool anyway. Eyes and ears alert, she sat shivering in the cold, wishing she'd brought a jacket. The sweater was very thin, and she was sure if she uncrossed her arms, her nipples would be poking out. Jumping, she heard a twig snap in the woods. She looked all around, but saw nothing. She waited a few more minutes, knowing that Lucius and Bronwyn were watching from one of the towers. She felt something pushing into her mind, and quickly diverted. It had been Bronwyn, making sure she was ready for her coming tasks. He was quite pleased to find that he hadn't even come close to getting in.

* * *

Finally, at 10:27, Lupin emerged from the Forbidden Forest. Hermione saw him at once, and ran to him. "Remus, you were so right! They forced me to do those horrible things! Get me out of here!" she whispered. He tried to wrap her in his arms, but she ran into the woods, and he followed. Silently they ran to the edges of Hogwarts protective spells and charms. He held out his arms to her, and she stepped into his circle, allowing herself to be apparated by him. She closed her eyes for the trip, and when they stopped, she opened her eyes. "Why are we here?" she asked, breaking away from him, looking at her surroundings, which seemed to be Grimauld Place. "You guys aren't still hiding out here, are you?"

"No, we're stationed somewhere else now, but I had to see you alone first. Hermione, I never believed for one second that turned. I've looked into your soul, I knew it couldn't be. Did they hurt you, my love?" he was looking her over, searching for bruises, she assumed.

"No, they didn't hurt me physically, not much anyway. When I was imperialized, I did whatever they wanted me to, you know. I didn't give them any reason to hurt me." She was looking around the empty house, glad she felt nothing for the loss of so many people that had lived there. Suddenly turning to him, she said, "I've got to see Professor Dumbledore. I've got to apologize to him. I never should have been so weak. I should have been able to fight the Imperilus curse."

"Hermione, how would you have known? You'd never been under it before."

"No, but I saw people who were. Please, just take me to him. If he can forgive me for-"she pretened to choke up-"killing Ron, I just might be able to forgive myself, as well." She started some fake tears, and he rushed over to hold her.

"Shh shh, it wasn't really you. We know you wouldn't have. It's going to be okay. You're safe now, with me."

She allowed herself to be coddled for a few minutes, trying to be convincing, praying he wouldn't try to kiss her. Her lips were still swollen from her rough kisses with Draco, but this oblivious idiot wouldn't have guessed. He was too overwhelmed that she was 'back' on the good side. Slowly she pulled away from him, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "I have to see him now, to apologize. Please, Remus, take me to see Dumbledore."

"I will, but first-" his lips descended upon hers, not rough or forcefully, though she didn't want the kiss in the first place, but softly, as if being with her was truly the only thing he wanted in the world. Sap. She let him kiss her, trying not to wretch, but when he tried to pry her lips apart with his tongue, she pushed back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" she stated. "Oh Remus, I missed you so much! But I don't feel comfortable doing this, not until I know that Dumbledore understands why I did those horrible things."

"Yes, I'll take you to him now." He pulled her back into his arms and they apparated to what appeared to be a lavishly decorated mansion. She looked around, awestruck, at the velvet drapes, old-fashioned chairs, ornate decorations.

"Where are we?"

"Welcome to my home, Hermione," Minerva McGonagall's voice startled her. She jumped, and then ran over to the professor. She hugged her tight, taking the old woman by surprise, and sneakily put a dab of the powder on her shoulders.

"Professor! I'm so glad you are okay! Your house, it's beautiful! Oh, thank you for helping get me rescued!" She hugged her again for good measure, and jumped back when she saw Albus enter the room.

"Ah, my dear girl Hermione, I'm glad to see you are well. It doesn't appear that you've been mistreated in your absence?"

"No, not unless you count being Imperialized, sir." She took a cautious step toward him, her arms partly outstretched. "May I?" she asked.

"Certainly," he said, holding out his arms also. She jumped into his arms, rubbing the powder into his shoulders as she hugged him tightly. "My dear, you've only been gone a couple weeks, did you miss us that much?"

She pulled away and tried to look sheepish. Dumbledore motioned for them all to have a seat. Hermione sat, hands in pocket, ready to press the seashell, but not doing so yet. "No," she said carefully, "not until I got Remus' letter." She smiled at him, and he sat close to her, pulling one of her hands out of her pocket to be held in his. She was really quite disgusted, but didn't show it. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could feel someone trying to get inside her head. She just practiced what she'd gone over with Bronwyn, thought "happy" thoughts, and said, "His letter is what made me realize I was cursed. Once I knew, I was able to break free of it. But let me tell you, those were a LONG three days, pretending to be a Death Eater, when all I really wanted to do was run into the Forbidden Forest and never look back. But I knew I couldn't make it through those woods alone. I've never been in them without Harry," she gulped, "or Hagrid. Hey, where's Hagrid?" she asked.

"He's having some trouble with Gwarp," Minerva said, rolling her eyes. "They're in the Utes Mountains, trying to find a new place for him to live safely, so Hagrid can return to fight with the Order.

"Oh, I see." Hermione said. "Professors," she said, again summoning those tears, "I..I'm so ashamed for what I did. I can't even forgive myself for what I did, and so I don't expect you to forgive me, either. I just want to say thank you for rescuing me."

"Hermione, of course we forgive you! You were cursed! We know you didn't want to help the enemy, right?" Minerva said. "Now stop that nonsense! You must be famished, you look so thin! Didn't they even feed you there?"

"Only half-raw meat and potatoes," she said truthfully. "And Lucius Malfoy ate enough for at least three portions." That wasn't a lie, either. Minerva magiced some pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs for her to eat. She took them gratefully, or seemingly, with her other hand still in her pocket, not letting go of the seashell. It was almost time to activate it. Why hadn't she sprinkled powder on Lupin yet? Duh, she chided herself, how else was she supposed to get here if he couldn't apparate. She found a perfect opportunity in what came next:

"Minerva, what say we shall leave the two, um, lovebirds alone for a bit?" Dumbledore rose, taking McGonagall's hand and escorting her from the room.

"At last!" Remus said, standing up, pulling her with him. "I've waited too long for this." His head tipped down and he pressed his lips upon hers. She took advantage of the situation and wrapped her arms around him, sprinkling the powder along his collar. He deepened the kiss, and Hermione went with it for a moment, and kissed him open-mouthedly without tongues. She quickly broke away, pretending to be shy, shoving her hands deep inside her pockets to check that the shell was still there.

"Hermione," he said, cupping her chin with one hand. "There's no need to be awkward. It's me. I'm not going to bite. It's not even the full moon anymore."

She giggled at his lame attempt at a joke. He came closer to her, and tried to kiss her again. "Stop it," she said, alarmed. "I don't want to kiss you right now."

"I'm sorry. But why?"

Inside her pockets, she rubbed the seashell. Seconds later, Draco, Lucius, Avery and Bronwyn apparated into the room.

"Because she's in love with me," Draco said, raising his wand.

* * *

_A/N: Please, pretty pretty please review, thanks! :) AND don't forget to go read the new versions of chapters 11 and 12! AND review those, TOO! Review them all! I love reviews :) The encourage me to write more!_


	16. 16

_"Stop it," she said, alarmed. "I don't want to kiss you right now."_

_"I'm sorry. But why?"_

_Inside her pockets, she rubbed the seashell. Seconds later, Draco, Lucius, Avery and Bronwyn apparated into the room._

_"Because she's in love with me," Draco said, raising his wand.

* * *

_

Draco kept his wand on Lupin, and the others watched. "What are you waiting for, Draco? Kill him!" Lucius said.

"Not yet, Father, I need to make him suffer. No one touches Hermione like that."

* * *

The three older men left the room, making a sweep of the house to find Dumbledore and McGonagall. The found them in the study, and Avery yelled out "Stupefy!" Catching them off guard, the professors froze to the spot. Dumbledore had started to break through the spell and Bronwyn held his wand up also. Dumbledore stayed.

"Ah, Albus. So we meet again. I assure you, this will be the last time. We can't have you apparating out of here, now, can we? Not when the Dark Lord so anxiously awaits your company. Tut, tut, I know what you're thinking. And you're right: Hermione was never Imperialized. She became a Death Eater on her own, and believe me, serving up Potter to the Dark Lord earned her that mark. The mark she's very proud of, might I say."

It was becoming harder for the three of them to hold the two enemies in the spell, so when Minerva twitched, Avery backhanded her and sent her flying into a bookcase. She appered to be unconsious.

"Crucio!" Lucius put on Dumbledore. He writhed in pain but refused to scream. Then Avery and Bronwyn put the same curse on him, and he couldn't help it anymore. His scream could be heard all over, namely in the drawing room where Draco held Lupin at wand-point.

* * *

"How dare you, you sick bastard? She kept saying no, and you kept pushing her to kiss you anyway. You're _old_! Why the hell would someone as young, beautiful, supple, and pure as Hermione want an old dirty dog like you?"

Lupin's eyes were darting between Draco and Hermione, who was standing next to her accomplice, arms crossed. Remus reached into his pocket, found nothing.

"Looking for this?" She asked, reaching into her own pocket and extracting his wand. "Stupefy!" she put on him, with his own wand. Smiling, she turned to Draco, who still held his wand steady in the air. She ran a hand along his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh Draco, you may have the old freak confused. I didn't stay very pure very long after finding you, now, did I?" She nibbled his earlobe, which he hated, but she did it to provoke Lupin. She walked around behind Draco, and wrapped both her arms across his shoulders. "I'm bored, let's go."

That's when they heard Dumbledore's scream from down the hall. Remus' eyes widened, as if just now realizing that the other Death Eaters were nowhere to be seen. "Hermione," he managed through the stupefy, "I loved you. Ron loved you. How could you, how could you do this to us?" His eyes plead with her soul, searching for any little bit of the girl he loved, but saw nothing but hatred. And, disgustingly, love for Malfoy.

"It was pretty easy, seeing as how noone there cared about what happened to me, only what happened to Harry. Living in the shadow of Potter wasn't really what I wanted anymore. I mean, what the fuck did it matter that that little _WHORE _Ginny-" Hermione closed her eyes, and straightened up. "You know what? Nevermind. I'm _GLAD_ Ginny betrayed me. I'm glad Potter hurt me. You have them to thank, for driving me away. For pushing me into Draco's waiting arms, and for sending me right into Voldemort's inner circle."

"Hermione-" Lupin started, but Draco didn't let him finish. He threw down his want and tackled Lupin, forcing him down on the ground, punching him in the face and chest. At that moment, Lucius and the others came in with the dead body of Minerva, and the restrained, badly damaged body of Albus, and stared, shocked, at the scene between Draco and Lupin. Lupin had managed to get in a couple hits, and Draco's lip was split, bleeding, but he didn't notice. He kept pummeling the man that had tried to take Hermione away from him.

Hermione walked over to join her fellow Death Eaters. Looking over her fingernails, as if bored, she asked Lucius, "Is there any way in this little fight that Lupin could turn him into a werewolf?"

"Only if he bites him," Lucius said, still watching the primitive display of macho fury.

"You fucking bastard, you piece of shit!" Draco was yelling as he continued beating Lupin's face beyond recognition. He grabbed Lupin's collar and pulled his head up, only to slam it on the stone hearth of the fireplace, which they were dangerously close to. He kept repeating this, over and over.

Hermione heard his skull crack, didn't flinch. She saw the life leave Lupin's body, but continued focusing on her fingernails.

Draco punched him a few more times, and finally stopped, sitting on top of him, panting and disheveled.

"You fuckin' killed him without magic!" Bronwyn simply stated.

"Yeah," Draco said, standing up. Hermione's nails no longer interested her, she ran over to her love and wiped the blood from his mouth. Then she kissed him passionately, and would have taken him right then and there, except Lucius coughed, and she drew away from Draco.

"Let's go. The Dark Lord awaits."

Hermione and Draco stepped over Lupin's dead and mangled body, joined hands, and they all apparated to the Dark Lord's chambers.

* * *

_A/N: Review, my lovlies. I know it was short, but I have to get to work. Impactful, no?_


	17. 17

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm now on 45 author alerts, and 19 fave author lists! Which means I expect a lot of reviews! I already have the next chapter written, but I am not posting it for a few more days, so you can all take in this extra long, extra good chapter. Make sure to review, because your reviews all make me happy!_

_Seems like you all enjoyed Draco killing Lupin with his bare hands :) Just a clarification, in my head Lupin was HOT, not the gay looking guy from the movies :) Just one thing, _khamsin, _Ginny and Harry HAVE no point of view, they're dead! Hahahah!!! _

_MissMills, slyswn28,valentines-hater, ShylaMalfoy,girl88, and EVERYONE else who continues to review my story, thank you SOOOOO much! I love all of your reviews, keep 'em coming so I will stay inspired to keep writing :) I love you guys!_

_p.s. May, knit me a sweater bitch, and make it blue! Love you!_

* * *

Hermione and Draco laid in their plush bed later that night, curled up together, discussing the events of the night. They were wrapped in each other's naked bodies, and Draco was once again twirling her hair subconsciously. They only light came from the bright moon outside their window. 

"Voldemort was so proud of you, babe," Draco said, squeezing her closer. "Going back to the Order, even though you didn't want to, helping us hand over Dumbledore. It was so great, watching that old goat die."

"Yeah, but what's up with Voldemort rewarding everyone with the estates of who they killed? I mean, you got McGonagall's, I got Moody's, Lupin had nothing to give away, only Grimmauld Place, which I still can't take any of you to, and now Dumbledore's stuff."

"Oh, he's keeping Dumbledore's for himself."

"Why didn't Avery and Bronwyn get anything?"

"Avery has an estate of his own, and plenty of money. Bronwyn, too. Besides, Horatio (Bronwyn's first name) is getting something he really really wants."

"What's that?" Hermione asked, disentangling her hair from his hands and sitting up on one elbow.

"He's getting his son back."

"Son? What son?"

"You might know him better as Justin Finch-Fletchey."

Hermione's left eyebrow shot up. "His son is a Hufflepuff?"

Draco reached up and grabbed another strand of her hair. "I know, disgusting, right? His mother, Gretchen, won't tell him Horatio's really his dad, but she is forcing him to come back to Hogwarts when term starts. Horatio's planning on telling Justin anyway, against Gretchen's wishes. Father is giving Justin extra adjusting time, not only adjusting to Voldemort being in control of Magical Brittain, but Father being in charge here at school, and adjusting to a father he never knew he had. He's not giving him the solution right away, like he is with most students. You remember, that one that was like veritaserum we gave you that night in the cabin?"

Hermione nodded.

"That's what Bronwyn wanted, time to bond with his son, and let Justin make decisions on his own. Of course, his decisions better comply with Horatio's," Draco laughed. "I can't believe a Death Eater's son is in Hufflepuff. I daresay Hufflepuff is going to get a new reputation in the coming weeks. I'm sure Justin will be prefect of that house, and Blaise will be from Slytherin. I just can't wait to-"

"Draco," Hermione interrupted him, "Shut up." She leaned across his body and threw herself on him. She kissed him hard, and could feel the excitement flow through his body. His hands again found her hair, which seemed to be becoming an obsession of his. He held her head close to his, and when she tried to pull back, he refused. He slammed her down onto the mattress, covering her naked body with his. His hands caressed her sides, sending shivers up her spine. She reached her arms out for him, but he grabbed her wrists and held them together with only one of his hands, and held them firmly on the pillow over her head. Her eyes widened at his demands, but she succumbed, deciding this could be quite fun. He conjured a silk scarf, which he tied her hands with, lashing her to the bedpost. He kissed a trail down her jawline, causing her to moan softly. She was pleasantly surprised when he slammed himself into her. No foreplay tonight, she supposed, but it wasn't necessary; she was always ready for him. He thrust into hard and fast, grunting with each movement. She squirmed beneath him, wanting to free her hands so she could run them over his perfect body, but liking the feeling of being restrained. A thin veil of sweat had broken out over Draco's body, and she felt it as their bodies glided together. Her hips bucked against his as she drew near a peak. Feeling her body's reaction to his, Draco continued pumping harder into her, and pulled one of her legs, and then the other, around his waist. She writhed in ecstacy beneath him, and felt her release as she screamed his name. Draco dove into her more furiously, feeling close to release himself. Her body relaxed a bit, after her orgasm, but quickly went rigid again as another came. Her deep throaty moans drove Draco over the edge, and they came together.

He fell on top of her, sweaty and breathless. He undid her restraints, and her arms instinctively wrapped around his body. He rolled over onto his back, taking her with him. She lay against his still heaving chest now, and one of his hands wrapped itself in her hair. "I love you, baby," he breathed, almost catching his breath.

"I love you too," she snuggled against his chest. His other arm came down and wrapped tightly around her body. After several minutes when both had regained their composure, Hermione propped herself up on one elbow, and looked down at her almost sleeping Draco. He cautiously opened one eye to see where she was going, and was pleased to see her staring at him. He smiled, and tried to pull her near for another kiss. When she resisted, he opened both eyes to look at her. She was smiling broadly.

"What are you smiling at?"

"I just remembered something I overheard at Voldemort's tonight." She laughed, and snorted, and then covered her mouth and laughed that she'd snorted in front of him.

"Well, if it's that funny, you better tell me!" Draco said.

Hermione calmed down from her laughing stint. "You are SO not going to believe this, baby. Your dad told Voldemort how he wanted for us to have a baby that Voldemort could bless and mold into Death Eater status, and how your mum put me on The Potion because she doesn't want to be a granny yet and do you know what Voldemort said to this?"

"What?" Draco nudged her, wanting to get on with it so he could cuddle her again.

"He said, and I'm not kidding, 'Maybe it's time I produce an heir of my own, now that I'm fully back to human form.'"

Draco nodded, remembering how by killing Dumbledore, Voldemort's humanity had been fully restored, except for those red slit eyes and gravelly voice. "And?"

"AND, so Lucius said to him, 'Your Lordship, why not do it then? I'm sure you could have any witch you wish bear your child. Bellatrix Lestrange would be quite honored, I'm sure.'

Draco himself snorted at that, and laughed hard. When he stopped, he looked at Hermione expectantly. "Voldemort is gonna impregnate Bellatrix?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No! If you'd let me finish, you'd know what he said next!" She smacked him on the chest.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I'll shut up, just tell me!"

"He turned to Lucius and eyed him. It was kinda freaky. Lucius was starting to get uncomfortable at his glare, when Voldemort raised an eyebrow at him and finally said, 'Are you kidding? She's fuckin' nuts! I ain't havin' a baby with her!'"

Hermione and Draco collapsed on the bed, laughing hard at Voldemort's claim. Draco was laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach to try and calm down. "Holy shit, that's funny!" He said through a stream of laughter. "I can't beleive my father suggested her! Voldemort must think Father is fuckin' nuts now, too!"

"Well, he is," Hermione stated.

* * *

The next morning, the couple joined everyone else in the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Steak and eggs? Lucius, you are going to have a heart attack before you ever get through the first term!" Hermione exclaimed, pushing away her untouched plate.

"What the hell's a heart attack?" he said through a mouthful of food. He was again, famished, as his beautiful wife had ravished him the night before.

"It's, well, I don't know," she said, slightly confused. She thought she knew what she was talking about, but this had happened before, when she was telling Draco about something.... but she couldn't remember what that was, either.

"It must be something to do with muggles," Narcissa said.

Draco stared at her.

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Hermione gave up all things muggle to become a Death Eater, but even her subconsious still remembers a little bit. But when it comes to the top of her mind, it sort of disapparates. So she has no idea what she's talking about."

"Well who the fuck cares what I was talking about if it has to do with muggles?" she said, deciding to eat her eggs afterall. At least they were fully cooked, unlike the steaks.

"Horatio, when is your son getting here? Classes start in a week."

"He'll be here tomorrow. Against his will," Bronwyn sighed.

"He'll come around," Hermione said. "He'll have almost a full week to get used to the idea, and you, before the other students come. Lucius," she said, turning to him, "what's the final count on students this year?"

"Surprisingly, we've got more than half returning. Avery's daughter is coming tomorrow with that other kid. Do you know her, Hermione? Lavendar Brown?"

"Lavendar is your daughter?" she incredulously asked Avery. "She was my roommate since I started Hogwarts!"

"I know," Avery said, "She told me."

"So how'd she get sorted into Gryffindor if you're head of Slytherin? Doesn't that mean you were in Slytherin?"

"Yeah, but her mum was in Gryffindor. We were really never together. She tried to be a spy for the Ministry, and it got her killed. Guess that's why Lav was sorted that way. At least she's not a Hufflepuff."

"Hey!" said Bronwyn.

"I'm just teasing, dumbass," Avery said. "Your kid sure as hell better turn Hufflepuff around. Bunch o' lame ass wusses, they are." He shoveled a forkful of eggs in his mouth and said, "Though I'm sure if anyone can fix that house, it's your kid. His father, afterall, IS in the Dark Lord's inner circle."

Changing the subject, Narcissa announced she'd decided to be head of Ravenclaw. No reaction. She sighed, and went back to her breakfast. Sometimes living with a bunch of men was so awful.

* * *

Hermione was out in the greenhouses again, checking on the plants. Narcissa walked in, and silently they took care of the herbs. When they were done, Hermione said, "Narcissa, you seem to love it out here. Why don't you be Herbology master, instead of Potions?"

"I've thought about it. But Lucius has already decided, so.." she trailed off, and sat on the ground looking toward the lake. Hermione joined her.

"Well talk to him. Tell him you want to do this, instead."

"Yeah right," she sniffed. "If you haven't figured it out yet, I only pretend I'm in control. He really is."

"I think I know a way for you to do Herbology, if you really want to."

"Oh?" Narcissa asked, looking at Hermione.

Hermione leaned over and whispered something in Narcissa's ear, to which Narcissa howled with laughter. "Oh my, I can't believe he said that to him! Ha, Bellatrix! Like she's even _SANE_ enough to get pregnant!" Narcissa fell backward onto the grass, and stayed laying there until she could breathe normall again. "Really! He's so dense!" She was caught by another wave of laughter.

Hermione laid down next to Narcissa and laughed, too. When she calmed down, Hermione said, "I bet if you hint around that you know, Lucius will let you teach anything you want, so long as word of his dumbass attack doesn't get out."

"Hmm.. Maybe you're right. I'm going to go, er, persuade, my husband to let me teach Herbology," she smirked, got up, dusted off her pants and strode into the castle. Hermione laid back down on the grass, enjoying the sunny day. A shadow crossed over her and she sat up, looking to see who it was. It was an owl, with a parchment. She untied the letter and the owl took off. She opened it:

"_Dear Draco_-" It began. Hm.. The owl must not have been able to find Draco. Odd, she thought, but decided to read the letter anyway. Whatever it was, he'd tell her.

_I hope the summer has been good to you, and from what I've heard, it has. Just wanted to let you know, before we all get there, that I broke up with Pansy. Once we didn't have to keep it secret anymore, it just wasn't fun. So now I'm on the prowl again, looking for fresh meat. Hey, I got a letter that I'm prefect, is that a chick magnet? And what's up with there only being one prefect from each house, now? With you and Hermione being heads and all, and me, Lav, Tyson and Justin Finch-Fletchy being prefects, I bet this year is going to rock. Hey man, why is Tyson the only seventh year with any power? And how the hell did Fletchy become prefect? Didn't he go into hiding when y'all killed Potty? This is the first year I've ever been excited to come back to school. See ya next week, my best to Hermione,_

_Blaise_

Hermione rolled up the scroll and ran off to her tower. Draco would be pleased that Blaise finally got rid of Pansy. She found Draco in their common room, reading some papers.

"Hey, where were you? An owl left me a letter addressed to you. Why couldn't it find you?"

"Oh, Father and I were in Hogsmead and worked with that cloaking charm. Who's it from?"

"Blaise." Hermione said. She told him what the letter said, and asked, "Who's Tyson?"

"Tyson Doddard, from Ravenclaw. Seventh year."

"Yeah, I kinda gathered that from the letter, dumbass," she said.

Draco jumped up and rushed over to her. "Did you just call me a dumbass?" he said.

"Yeah," she sneered, "and what are you gonna do about it?" She tilted her chin up defiantly.

"This," he said, and devoured her mouth. He swooped her body up into his arms, and was carrying her toward the bedroom when he tripped over something, and they both fell to the ground, laughing.

"Are you okay, baby?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" She crawled over to where he was lying on the floor, and slithered up his body. She leaned down to kiss him, but was interrupted by a knock at the portrait.

"Who's that?" Draco asked.

"Can't be your father; he just barges in," said Hermione, standing up and straightening her clothes. Draco got up and answered the door.

Narcissa swished in, beaming. "It worked, Hermione! I get to be Herbology master instead of Potions!"

Hermione squealed and hugged Narcissa. Draco looked at them questioningly.

"You don't need to know," Hermione said to him. "Just be happy your mom is happy."

"This close to term, Lucius decided he himself would be teaching Potions. He found professors for the other vacancies, though, and talked Trelawny into being the nurse to earn her keep around here. She's too scared to tell him no," Narcissa grinned.

* * *

After dinner, everyone stayed in the Great Hall to finish up business.

"You two will be going to King's Cross to meet the other students and fill the prefects in on their duties on the train. Justin will accompany you, too, if he's in the right mindframe by then. I've got a blueprint here for a Prefect Dorm, for you to look over. Four bedrooms, two baths, one for boys, one for girls, well Lavendar, and a common room. You'll go over that with the prefects on the train. Hermione, it will be your job to bring the first years across the lake and to the backroom to wait until the sorting. I've decided to keep all four houses, and not resort anyone. The house tables will still be here, but only for dinner and special meetings. At breakfast and lunch, you can let the kids sit anywhere they want."

"Lucius, you are going to be the best Headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen," Hermione stated.

"I know," he said, and continued. "The other professors will be here in two days. We'll have another meeting then. Bronwyn, if Justin is compliant, he will be at that meeting, too." Then, "come Narcissa. We've much to do before the term starts." The two got up and left the table, leaving all the parchments behind. Everyone else retired to another room, which was sort of like a drawing room, Hermione supposed. That sat around smoking cigars, which she decided she liked, and drinking Firewhiskey. Well, not Hermione, she had wine. They talked about all the changes going on in the Ministry, how great the new Minister was doing, then a little about Quidditch.

"Hey Hermione, why don't you play Quidditch?" asked Avery.

"She's afraid to fly," Draco said.

"I am not!" she protested. "I stole a broom and flew all the way to the cabin!"

"You're still afraid," Draco laughed.

"Harumph!" Hermione stated, and swished out of the room.

'Whatever,' she thought on her way to her tower. 'Let him be all macho in front of the guys. Next week when he's just a student and not an equal to those guys, he'll be back to normal.'

Hermione drew a hot bubblebath in the enormous tub, pulled her hair on top of her head in a messy bun, and slid slowly into the water, letting her body accustom to the steamy water. She sighed and stretched out, enjoying the quiet and soothing scents of her bath oils. She must have dozed off, because she awoke, feeling eyes on her. Draco was leaning on the doorway, arms crossed.

"Room in there for two?" he asked.

"Always," she smiled. He tantalizingly took off his clothes, taking his time to get to the bathtub. He got in at the opposite end as her, taken aback at the hot temperature of the water. He gently eased himself into the liquid, and swam over to the side Hermione was at. The end of the tub was angled, so she could recline easily while her head was still above water, perfect for relaxation. But relaxation was not what Draco had in mind. He came up on top of her, kissing her supple lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tightly. His kisses were soft, unrushed. A hand found it's way up her body, touched her cheek, then higher to loosen her bound hair. He smiled as it tumbled down her shoulders, and took a strand in his hand.

"Always with the hair, huh?" she lazily asked as he kissed her neck.

"Always," he said. He nudged her legs apart and positioned himself in between them and continued kissing her neck and jawline. When he slid into her body, she gasped, as the water pressure made love making a bit more difficult. He eased into her slowly, letting her body get accustomed to his favorable size along with the water surrounding them. His lips found hers again, and their tongues danced together in the same rhythm as his thrusts. Hermione's body was tight against his, her hardened nipples pressing into his chest. Her body began to shake all over as she rode out her first orgasm. Draco kept the pace steady, though the bucking of her hips begged him to take her harder. He held strong, keeping the slow, tantalizing pace, drawing out her orgasm. Her fingernails dug into his shoulder as she reached ecstacy, shuddering beneath his body. Their kisses became more passionate but his thrusts remained the same. One of his hands found itself fisted in her hair, gently tugging with each movement. Her lips escaped his as her moans became louder. "Please, Draco, more," she begged him to quicken the pace, but he refused, keeping steady as she reached peak after peak. She began kissing his collarbone as he felt himself getting nearer to release. She bucked her hips at him roughly as he climaxed and moaned her name. Their lips again found each other, and they kissed slowly for a few minutes more. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

* * *

Back in the bedroom, Hermione had slipped into a short silver silk nightie and was tying her hair back up on top of her head. She walked up to the bed and climbed in, snuggling into Draco's awaiting arms.

"Big day tomorrow," he said as he instinctively reached for a tendril of her hair that had fallen from the band.

She laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Mmmhmm," she responded.

"I think Bronwyn will ask you to talk to Justin tomorrow. He's kind of in the same situation you were in. One moment on one side of the fence, thinking he's doing the right thing, and then in a flash figuring out he's been in the wrong place his whole life."

"He'll need time to adjust. He won't have an incredible revelation like I did. He's just going to have everything thrown at him all at once tomorrow. I kind of feel sorry for him."

"Me too," Draco said, untying her hair and discarding the rubber band.

She rolled her eyes, he never let her have her hair up anymore. Now his fingers were running all through it. She sat up and eyed him. "Do you even realize you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Grab my hair all the time."

"Must be my caveman instincts," he laughed.

"I'm serious, Draco. Why do you do that?"

"I don't know," he said, pulling her back to lay her haed on his chest again. He played with a curl of her hair, then quickly let it go. "I just do it without thinking. I'm sorry if it annoys you, baby."

She sighed. "It doesn't really annoy me, most of the time."

"I'll stop, if you want me to." He didn't even realize he'd picked the hair up again.

"Then stop, just for tonight, baby."

"Okay," he said, dropping the hair. She snuggled in close to him and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she could tell he was aleep by his rhythmic breathing, and began to drift to sleep herself, when she felt his fingers tighten around her curls. She rolled her eyes at his nocturnal behavior and went to sleep.

* * *


	18. 18

_A/N: Well, not so many reviews for the last chapter :( Maybe you guys will like this one better. I had to write it three times! There wasn't enough space on my disk, so when I saved it, it just, wasn't there! And my computer wouldn't tell me there wasn't enough space, noooo! It just DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! So I wrote it again, and did the same, and it wasn't there! Finally, I figured out what was happening, so this is the third version of this chapter. I hope you like it. PLEASE review! p.s. Hermione's 'fear' in this chap...well it's my fear, too! :p_

* * *

The next morning was a tense one. It was the day that Justin would arrive. After breakfast, everyone remained in the Great Hall, awaiting his arrival. Finally, a small house elf popped her head in the room and said, "Master Bronwyn, sir, yous son here is." She stepped aside and Justin cautiously entered the room.

"Justin!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's so good to see you again! How was your trip, good I hope? Come come, sit next to me." She led him to the bench where he sat beside her, Draco on her other side.

"Justin, so pleased you could make it here early," Lucius said. Justin just nodded, looking a bit like he was going to pass out. "Gentlemen, ladies, let's leave these two to get acquainted, shall we?" Lucius stood, and so did everyone but Justin and Horatio.

"Hermione," Horatio asked.

"Yes?"

"Will you be around later?" he asked.

"Certainly, sir. I'll be by the lake going over the prefect papers."

* * *

A few hours later, Hermione was spread out with her paperwork on a soft blanket at the shore. Draco was skipping stones. He kept trying to get one to the middle of the lake, where the Giant squid was lazing around. He briefly wondered what would happen if he hit the squid. It would probably get pissed off and come after him. Oh well.

"Draco, get your ass over her and help me! If you don't start pulling your own weight, people are going to think that you got Head Boy because of your father!"

"No, they're going to think I got it because of my hot girlfriend!" He stopped throwing rock and jumped over to sit next to her. He took the parchments from her and looked over her carefully detailed outline of Heads and prefects duties. "Looks like you got it all covered, babe. Lay down with me for a while." He laid down, and pulled her down on top of him. She rested her head on his chest, breathing in sync with him, and almost falling asleep from his rhythmic breathing, when something on the horizon caught her eye. It was Horatio and Justin! She sat up excitedly, making sure her clothes were where they belonged. Draco stood up, then helped Hermione up.

"I'm gonna go practice Quidditch," Draco said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"Yeah, me too," said Bronwyn. They left, heading for the pitch.

"So," Hermione said, sitting back down. "Long day, huh?" She patted the blanket next to her for him to sit, which he did.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that, and it's not even over."

"I know how you feel, Justin. It's hard to wake up one day and find out everything you ever believed in was just a big lie."

Justin looked at her from the corner of his eye. He'd heard the rumors. "Hermione, is it true that Harry Potter hurt you so bad that it turned you into a Death Eater?"

"Yeah, but I'm glad he did. Otherwise, I'd still be running after him, living in his shadow, doing his homework, and figuring out how to get him out of his latest messes. I'm happy now, with Draco, here at Hogwarts, serving Lord Voldemort. What we're doing here is very important. We're training the next generation of Death Eaters."

Justin sat quietly for a moment, and then said, "Did you know that Horatio and my mum were together until I was three? But then my mum buckled to her parents wishes for her to leave him, so she did. Then she met and married Richard. I spent fourteen years of my life living a lie."

"I do understand, Justin," she said quietly. "I spent the first seventeen of mine in a lie. But you're really lucky to have found your destiny so easily. Look what I had to go through. I had to have my heart ripped out, fall in love again, well, really for the first time, as I didn't love Potter, but then I had to be the one lying for weeks, when I was spying on the Order. But now, I'm finally where I truly belong, Justin, and so are you. You should be happy."

"I guess so," he said glumly.

"Hey," Hermione said, trying to cheer him up, "since you're the first prefect here, you get to choose which bedroom you want!"

"Bedroom? Won't I be living in the Hufflepuff tower like the prefects did last year?"

"No," Hermione laughed, standing up. "Lucius is a way cool headmaster. He gave me and Draco the entire Astronomy tower, and you prefects get a whole suite of rooms to share. Come on, let's go check it out!" Hermione reached out a hand to help him up, and they walked toward the castle.

Hermione led him to a portrait of a man with spectacles, and said the password, "reindeer." The portrait swung open, and they were astounded at what was inside. There was a huge fireplace with a mantle, four plush couches, four armchairs near the hearth, four huge desks, and five doors leading elsewhere.

"Let's start here," Hermione said, opening the door in the middle. It led to a huge bathroom, not quite as nice as hers and Draco's, but luxurious all the same. Instead of a whole wall being a rainforest like in her bathroom, one entire wall was an aquarium. Hermione shuddered. She hated fish, they freaked her out. In each corner stood a huge enclosed shower stall. Next to each shower was a vanity with big mirrors and lots of drawer and counter space. In the far corner, the vanity was much bigger than the rest, with at least three times as many drawers, lights, and even a cushy round bench to sit on.

"That one must be Lav's," Hermione sneered.

"Lav?"

"Lavendar Brown, well, Lavendar Avery now. She finally got to change her name back with Dumbledore dead."

Hermione was so happy Lav was coming back to Hogwarts. Lavendar would be her only girlfriend at Hogwarts, since Parvati and Padma were Dumbledore lovers and wouldn't be returning.

There was an enormous bathtub in the middle of the room, much like the one in Hermione and Draco's bath. It had deep and shallow ends, and seven spiggots to dispense different bubbles and oils. Lavendar would be locking the boys out all the time to enjoy long, luxurious baths alone.

"Let's go check out the bedrooms," she said. They went back through the common room and opened another door.

"No," said Justin plainly. The room was fluffy and pink, and one entire wall was an armoir. "That, I must insist, belongs to Lavendar."

They went into the other rooms, but Justin decided on the last one, the blue room, as he liked to call it. It was midnight blue, with a huge walnut four poster bed, with one whole wall made of floor-to-ceiling windows facing east, to see the sunrises. "That'll be romantic when you bring your girlfriend in."

"Ha, like that'll happen. I don't have a girlfriend, and even if I did, what makes you think she'd be allowed in my bedroom?"

"Draco and I share a bed," she stated.

"Whoa, really? That's cool. You're right, Lucius is a good headmaster," he smiled. They went back to the common room and looked around some more.

"Hey, Hermione?" Justin called from the far side of the room. "Do you think that now I'm prefect, I can bring my dog here?"

"Sure, why not? You can do pretty much whatever you want here." She was looking through the titles on a bookcase, disappointed to see she'd read every book there.

"I'll just owl the other prefects to see if it would bother them."

"Fuck them. Do what you want. You're very powerful here, now, and your name alone demands respect. If you want your dog here, then he'll be here."

"What if he fights with your cat?"

"Crookshanks? I got rid of that hairball months ago. He took a liking to Ginny and rubbed all over her legs, and then mysteriously came down with a skin disease. Probably got it from that little slut."

Justin laughed. "I never did like that little Weasley girl anyway."

Just then they heard the portrait open, and looked up to see Draco standing there, arms crossed. "Time to go shopping, kiddies," he said. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a money satchel, which he tossed to Justin. Justin was surprised at the weight of it, assumed it was all knuts. But when he looked inside, he saw that it was all galleons.

Draco walked over to the fireplace and took off the lid of a little green and white pot on the mantle. He took a pinch of Floo powder and tossed it into the fire, yelling, "Diagon Alley!"

Hermione and Justin followed. They suddenly appeared in the bustling streets of the shopping center. First stop was of course, the broom store, since Draco needed the lastest broom. "If I'm going to be Quidditch captain, I'm going to need the best equipment, aren't I?" was his reasoning.

While on the way to Quality Quidditch Supplies, Justin said, "It sucks that we still can't apparate to and from Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but there's a dead spot in the forest that isn't protected, I'll show you where it is."

"Dead spot?" Draco asked, confused.

"You know, like with cell phone reception, there's spots you can't have calls." Justin said, looking at a pretty girl across the street.

"What's a cell-o phone?" Draco asked. (a/n: My mom actually does call them cell-o phones, ha)

Justin whipped his yellow cased phone out of his pocket and handed it to Draco. "It's like a muggle telephone, but it's portable and you can take it with you anywhere."

Draco began busily pushing buttons, and must have gotten into the ringer selection menu, because he jumped when "Low" by Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz began playing.

"Dude, what the fuck is that?" he asked, incredulous.

"It's the ringer, it lets you know when someone is calling you. And this display window here tells you who's calling, so you can decide if you want to pick up or let it go to voicemail."

"What the hell is voicemail?"

"You field this one, Hermione," Justin said, cranning his neck to see where the girl went.

"I don't know what voice mail is."

"What?" Justin asked. "You spent the first ten years of your life and all summers thereafter as a muggle, and you know what a dead spot is, but not voicemail?"

Draco kept pushing buttons, and the phone emitted a weird long beeping sound. Justin took the phone back and pocketed it, must to Draco's dismay.

"Hermione had to renounce all things muggle when she became a Death Eater. Some stuff is still in the back of her mind, but when it comes to the surface, she forgets it again."

"Am I going to forget, too?" Justin asked.

"Probably not, you're not a mudblood," Hermione said.

"Hermione!" Justin asked. "That word!"

"Oh, it doesn't bother me, I'm not a mudblood anymore."

They entered the store and Hermione implanted herself at the magazine rack in front. She flipped through the pages of Witches Weekly as the guys looked at whatever.

"Dude, do you play Quidditch?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, at home I did."

"Are you any good at it?"

"Yes, I'm pretty good."

"Then why don't you try out for the Hufflepuff team?"

"Eh, Ernie is always saying I ain't good enough and shit."

"Well, Ernie ain't gonna be here now, is he? So try out if you want to. You might even make captain. What position do you play?"

"Beater."

"Cool."

"So, dude, the Quidditch robes, they're chick magnets, aren't they?" Justin asked as he eyed the latest Firebolt.

"Hell yeah!" Draco exclaimed. "Girls can't keep their hands off them!"

Hermione ahem-ed from the front of the store, glaring at Draco.

"Not that I'd know, of course," he blushed.

"Ah, she's got ya whipped already?"

"Dude, I'm not whipped, I'm in love. Besides, Hermione's _are _the only hands that have ever touched me."

"Oh, so your reputation is wrong?"

"No, it's misguided. The Slytherin Sex God is one Mr. Blaise Zabini. And now that he's done with Pansy, he's going to be looking for his next conquest. He's a horndog, dude, so if there's anyone you fancy, just tell him upfront and he will stay away from her. He's cool like that. Great friend, bad boyfriend." The guys took their new brooms, maintenance kits and accessories to the front to pay. Hermione tossed her magazine on the stack of stuff Draco was buying, so he paid for it, too.

"If you boys are done caressing your broomsticks now, I'm thirsty." She strutted out the store, and onto the sidewalk. A pretty necklace caught her eye in a window, but Draco hurried her along. They came to the Three Broomsticks and found a table at the back and sat down. A waitress came over and Draco said, "Two firewhiskeys, beer chasers, and a black wine for the lady."

"Give me the whiskey, I'm feeling adventurous," Hermione said. A minute later the drinks were placed on the table in front of them.

"Dude, I've never really drank whiskey before," Justin said.

"We're celebrating destiny, man. Just try it, and if you don't like it, you can nurse that beer."

"Okay," Justin said, and tilted his head back, tasting the liquor. He grimaced. "Not what I was expecting."

"You gotta slam it back, like this," Hermione said, throwing her head back and downing the whiskey.

Justin shook his head and did the same. They all slammed the shot glasses on the table and took swigs of the beer. The waitress cleared away the empty glasses and replaced them with full ones.

"You're right, it's better that way," Justin smiled.

"Hell yeah!" Hermione smiled and they all raised their second shot glasses.

After the drinks, it was time for books. The guys got what they needed quickly and waited outside for Hermione. They knew she'd be in there forever, she loved reading. She got her texts, and picked up about a dozen or so extra for recreation. As she approached the checkout, she noticed some magazines that Lavendar had recommended, so tossed them on the stack, too. What was it with her and magazines today? She took her purchases outside, and saw Justin standing alone with all his bags, and Draco's too.

"Where'd Draco go?" she asked.

"He went into Knockturn Alley to get something for his mother. He'll be back in a minute."

They talked for a few moments, and when Draco finally appeared holding two small bags, Hermione thrust her packages at him and led the way to Madame Malkin's Dress shop. There, they all got new robes, for classes, dress and for the guys, Quidditch. Draco had convinced Justin to try out. Hermione led the way back to the Floo station, the guys lagging behind her, carring her packages along with their own.

When they were finally back in the prefects common room, three house elves appeared to take the bags to their respective owner's rooms. Hermione looked at the cherry grandfather clock in the corner as her stomach rumbled. "Time for dinner, boys, lets go! All that shopping made me so hungry, I'll gladly eat bloody steaks and potatoes tonight!"

When they finally got to the Great Hall, everyone was already there. Justin went back to feeling uncomfortable again, but tried to relax with his new friends.

Finally, the food appeared, and Hermione squealed with delight seeing it wasn't the normal steak and potatoes, but an extravagant seafood feast.

Lucius noticed and smiled. "You've Justin to thank for this, Hermione. I figured it was his first night here, so he could pick whatever he wanted for dinner."

"Well thank you, Justin!" Hermione exclaimed, shoveling generous helpings of calimari, scallops, clams, orange roughy, and oysters onto her plate.

'You know that oysters are an aphrodesiac?' Draco asked in her mind.

'Yes, I know. Now eat some,' she said back.

Draco helped himself to plenty of oysters, and laughed as Hermione dug into some herself.

"Hermione, aren't you freaked out by fish?" Justin asked, laughing.

"Only alive ones that are swimming around! They're just so gross! Swimming all over the place with their mouths open, all whoop whooping all over the place, and those gross fins on the side their heads that puff out and you can see the inside of thier bodies!" Hermione shuddered and then gagged, looking down at the baked fish on her plate. "Okay, so I guess I don't like dead fish, either."

Lucius summoned the house elves to take away all traces of fish, as Hermione regained her composure.

"Whoop whoop," Draco made fun, sucking in his cheeks and doing fish lips.

"Aah, stop it!" Hermione smacked him on the shoulder. Everyone laughed at Hermione's pet peeve, and enjoyed an amicable dinner. Without the fish taking up space on her plate, Hermione had room for some shrimp, and a few more oysters, which did not go unnoticed by Draco.

"Hey," Hermione said after wiping her mouth daintily with a napkin, "Justin's going to try out for Qudditch, huh Justin?"

"Yeah, Draco talked me into buying a new broom and he even made me buy the uniform already. Oh, here, uh, Dad, here's the change from supply shopping." He pulled the money from his pocket and reached toward Bronwyn, who seemed quite surprised to be called 'dad' already.

"No, son, that's your allowance, keep it." He was trying to contain his smile so he wouldn't look like a gleaming idiot at his son's seemingly acceptance of him.

"Allowance? There must be a thousand galleons left in here!"

"Well, if you run out, just ask for more." Horatio shrugged.

* * *

After dinner, the three younger people trudged up to the former Astronomy tower. Hermione stretched out on the rug, and pulled out a deck of cards she'd gotten at the bookshop. She shuffled and began dealing a hand of wizard's poker, which didn't have kings, but did have hooded cloaked slit eyed men, Voldemort. After laughing and gambling for forty minutes, Justin tossed his cards into the pile and stretched.

"Guys, thanks for hanging with me tonight. I know you had better things to do than sit around and babysit me."

"Nonsense!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's been so long since we hung out with someone other than Draco's parents or your dad, or Avery. Man, some of the things we've heard around here,.. or SEEN!" She laughed, thinking of Lucius and Narcissa naked on the Great Hall floor. Hermione thought it was sweet that they still made love, but it grossed Draco out. He deserved to be grossed out, after making fun of her fish fear.

"Dude, let's hang tomorrow on the Quidditch field, get back in shape before tryouts," Draco said, holding out his hand for Justin to shake.

"Cool, cool," Justin said, heading for the door. "Thanks again guys. You've made me comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. Hey, maybe I can take advantage of being the newbie and pick breakfast. What do you guys want?"

"Waffles! With strawberries!" Hermione said.

"Bacon!" said Draco. "And pancakes! And sausage! And biscuits! And hash! And-"

"I get the point, I'll try to pull some strings," Justin chuckled. Goodnight," he smiled as he climbed through the portait and headed for his own rooms.

"Finally!" Draco yelled, pouncing on Hermione. "My God, woman, what the hell are you doing to me, making me eat all those oysters, then inviting up company for forty-five minutes?!?"

Hermione giggled as Draco kissed her neck and collarbone.

"What was I supposed to do? Tell him 'Sorry dude, talk to you tomorrow, we're gonna go snog now?'"

"Yes!" Draco devoured her mouth, his restless hands roaming all over her body. He reached up to pull her hair out of the ponytail, and rolled over, pulling her on top of him. He stripped off her shirt and went straight for her jeans, shoving them roughly off her. He fumbled with the clasp of her bra and finally unleashed her breasts, which she pressed tightly against his body. He ripped off her panties, and she lay naked on top of him. Beneath her, he was still fully clothed, but he couldn't stop touching her long enough to undress himself. He rolled again, taking her with him so she was on bottom, and they frantically ripped his clothes off, too. They made love on the floor, and later on the couch, and later again in their bed.


	19. 19

_A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming! Special thanks to Ireth, my inspiration for May LOL and Big thanks to my new beta, skittlebip! Love you girlies!_

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* * *

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It was finally time for the students to return to the newly renovated Hogwarts School for the Dark Arts. Hermione, Draco and Justin went to the dead spot in the forest, and apparated to King's Cross Station, platform 9 3/4. Hermione was pleased to see so many familiar faces, and a few she didn't really recognize. The Dark Lord would be so pleased that he had so many faithful servants.

They herded the students onto the train, and made their way to the prefects compartment at the front. There they met up with Lavendar, Blaise and Ty.

"This year is SO gonna rock!" Lav said as she ran up to hug Hermione. "I never thought I'd see the day that Hermione Granger crossed to the dark side."

"Hermione Granger doesn't exist anymore, Lav. I'm just plain old Hermione, now."

"We are going to have so much fun now that I don't have to keep my secret from you!" Lavendar squealed.

Draco rolled his eyes. The girls went to a corner of the compartment, whispering and giggling. He watched as Hermione pushed up the sleeve of her school robes and showed off her Dark Mark.

"Ooh, you lucky little bitch! I'm so jealous; I want the Mark, too! Did you hear what happened to-"

Draco blocked out their conversation, and made the introductions. "I hope you guys don't have a problem with Justin bringing his dog. And if you do, too damn bad, because he's coming anyway."

"Ooh, I love dogs!" Lav said from her corner. She jumped up, and approached Justin. "Tell me about him."

They walked to a bench seat at the far end of the compartment and talked quietly.

"Looks like I got some competition in the ladies' department this year," Blaise said. He was taller than Draco, and had very dark red hair, almost black. There was a mischeivous gleam in his hazel eyes as he looked over at Lavendar.

"Don't, dude, Justin's cool. He's been through a lot this past week, so just cut him a break," Draco said, sitting down.

Blaise plopped down next to him, kicking his feet up on a table. "So you're friends with him now?"

"Yeah, he's cool. Embraced all this new shit that's been thrown at him, he's dealing really well, considering. And since he got there first, Hermione let him pick which bedroom he wanted in the prefects suite."

"Damn, I wanted dibs," Blaise said. "Gotta pick the room that's most appealing to the ladies."

"That room goes to Lav, unless you want pink ruffles?" Hermione asked, eyebrow raised.

"I have pink ruffles in my room?" Lav asked, wide-eyed. "Ruffles? Ruffles, are you kidding me, ruffles?"

"Hey, I didn't decorate it!" laughed Hermione. "Just magic it however you want it, but it's got the biggest closet."

"Well then, I guess I can deal with it," Lav laughed.

The train ride to Hogwarts continued for several hours, everyone bustling about from compartment to compartment, catching up on the summer's events, and many had stopped to ask Draco if the rumors about Hermione were true. Draco loved bragging about what Hermione did, and never forgot to mention how he killed former Professor Lupin with his bare hands. He did, however, neglect to relay the part where Hermione had to pretend to be in love with the beast. Some things were just better off left private.

Hermione decided since there was only about an hour left of the train ride, she better get the prefects back together to go over procedure. She peeked into compartments as she walked past, looking for everyone.

"Ty!" she called. "Prefects car, ten minutes." He nodded in agreement and continued talking to some other Ravenclaws.

Peering into another car, she saw who she thought might be Blaise, but he was snogging with a curly haired brunette.

"Ahem," she said sternly. The girl jumped away from Blaise and Hermione laughed. "Snog all you want, Blaise, but be in the prefect car in ten."

Blaise turned from Hermione, and as she left the compartment, she heard him say, "Sorry, May. Now where were we? We got like, nine minutes left!" She shook her head, laughing, and went to find the others.

Justin and Lavendar were walking together through the hallway, when Hermione flagged them down to tell them about the meeting. It did not go unnoticed that they were holding hands. Geez, was everyone hooking up now?

She went to the prefects car to wait for the meeting to start. She flopped down on a cushiony bench, and was looking out the window when she felt someone watching her. She slowly turned her head to the doorway, where Draco was leaning against the frame nonchalantly. She grinned a half smile and patted the seat next to her. Draco obeyed, but when he sat down, he engulfed her in a passionate kiss. After a moment, Hermione pulled away.

"What's wrong, baby?" Draco asked, concerned.

"Nothing, but the prefects will be here in a few minutes."

"Okay then," Draco said, kissing the tip of her nose. "I'll behave. For now."

The door slid open, and in walked Blaise. "This meeting better be good, you know what you interrupted for it, Hermione," he scowled at her.

Hermione chuckled as Blaise sat down across from her. "So how was your summer?" she asked him.

"Fine. Eventful. But boring, too. Only three girls all summer."

"Only?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was kinda slow, what with all the drama that Pansy was throwing my way. God, I am so glad to be rid of her. The whole 'only in secret' thing was the only time I had any fun with her. As soon as she started telling people about us, I started getting annoyed with her whiny ass. She better not be going around school spreading shit about me. I have a reputation to rebuild."

"Oh, I don't think Pansy will be bothering anyone for a long time," Hermione sneered.

Just then, the door opened and Justin and Lav entered, followed by Ty.

"Can we get this started now? I do have an hour left of my summer vacation, and I intend to make it most memorable," Blaise said.

"With that little brunette back there?" Hermione winked.

"Yeah, her. Or whoever else I run into on the way."

"Fine, whatever," Draco spoke up. "Basically, your jobs are to keep everyone in line, do what Lucius tells you, and report any suspected spies. They aren't putting the faithful potion into the food right away, something to do with the ingredients not being ready. You can give and take points, give detentions, and send people to Filch for punishment. You report to us, don't go to Lucius with any petty problems. If me or Hermione can't handle it, we'll take it to him."

"Your suite has four bedrooms, but only one bathroom. Do whatever you want in there, you can have guests, but only if the others agree," Hermione said. "Also, you can't do the points or detentions thing with each other, or us, of course. Unfortunately, we have to pretend to respect Filch, and that means if you want to torture Mrs. Norris, you have to do it on the sly. You might be wondering why there are fewer prefects this year. For one thing, there aren't as many students to watch over. For another, Lucius didn't feel like picking more people. And who could blame him? With the six of us, I'm sure we can handle anything that comes up."

"Speaking of 'up,' are we done here?" Blaise asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Almost."

"We all can go into Hogsmeade whenever we feel like it, as long as there are three of us back at school, except on the weekends when everyone goes. Oh, and no unforgivables on anyone unless approved by Lucius."

"Now are we done?" asked Blaise.

"Yes, go snog May," Hermione said. Blaise jumped up and ran for the door. "But no sex on the train! And only in dorms at school!" she yelled after him, not sure he heard her.

"Let's go scare some first years," Draco said to Justin and Ty, and they left the compartment. Now it was just Hermione and Lavendar.

"So, give me all the juicy details!" Lav said.

Hermione laughed. "I'm not telling you about my sex life!"

"Ha! I didn't mean that, although I'd love to hear! I meant, tell me how you tricked Potter AND managed to get the whole Order killed!"

"Not the entire Order," Hermione said. "Hagrid's still out there somewhere with Grawp, and Dobby's on the loose."

"Who's Grawp? Nevermind, I don't care. Did you get to see Potter's face when the Dark Lord pulled a wand on him?"

"No, we were bowed, but I did get to kick the shit out of him, right in front of You-Know-Who." The girls laughed hysterically, and Hermione replayed the details of setting up Dark Hogwarts, including the bit about seeing Lucius and Narcissa on the floor of the Great Hall.

"Ew!! Oh my God, that's so gross! What did Draco say?"

"He didn't see it, thankfully, but he managed to get it out of me, and he was all twitchy for a couple hours."

"Well wouldn't you be, too, at the thought of your parents shagging?"

"I don't have parents!" Hermione laughed.

Lav nodded, knowing that Hermione renounced all things muggle to be a Death Eater, including the Grangers. "So, did you check out any of those magazines I recommended?"

"Yeah, and I even made Draco pay for them!"

Lav squealed, and said, "Did you get the one about-"

* * *

When they finally got to Hogwarts, and the sorting was done, Lucius gave his welcoming speech. Hermione had heard it countless times before, and was in the midst of deciding whether to send a mental message to Draco when she heard her name. Oh, Lucius had announced the Heads and prefects. She stood, along with the others, and accepted the applause of the other students.

"I know some of you seventh years are upset that I chose sixth years for the Heads, but, well, Draco is my son, afterall, and I'm sure you are ALL quite aware of the things Hermione has done to help the Dark Lord." He went on to introduce the new professors and Filch's stupid rules. Then the food appeared. Steak and potatoes.

Hermione looked helplessly at Justin across the hall from her, and he just shrugged. "Sorry!" he mouthed, and she smiled. Maybe they'd manage to get waffles for breakfast. Hermione picked at her dinner, eating practically nothing. Her mind wandered to that night last week, when they had the seafood dinner, and a smile appeared on her lips at the thought of oysters.

'What are you grinning at?' she heard in her head. She looked up across the room to see Draco, sitting next to Blaise, who was licking that May girl's earlobe, and brightened up.

'Just remembering something.'

'Like?'

'Oysters.'

She saw Draco inhale sharply, then heard, 'Encore?'

'You know it.'

"Hermione!"

"What?" she asked, annoyed she'd been interrupted, turing to Lav.

"I said, do you and Draco want to come hang in our dorm tonight? I talked the boys into truth or dare."

"Truth or dare? How old are you, Lav? That's such a childish game."

"Yeah, but one that will let us put those magazine articles to the test," she smirked.

"Count me in!" Hermione said. "Wait, let me ask Draco. He had other plans, you know." Hermione got quiet, and looked in Draco's direction. After a moment, Draco looked over at Lav and narrowed his eyes.

"Why's he looking at me like that?" Lav asked.

"Shh!" Hermione said, then went quiet again. Then she smiled, started at Draco some more, and then laughed. "He said fine, but only for a little while."

"You were talking to him in your head?" Lav asked, incredulous.

"Psh, yeah. We do it all the time."

"I haven't been able to get into anyone's head yet."

"Draco and I did it our first night together."

"Yeah, but you guys have a connection," Lav said, taking a bite of her steak.

"True, but he can get into practically anyone's head. I'm still working on it, thought, but I can always tell when someone's trying to get into mine." She pushed her almost-full plate away. It disappeared, and she poured some water into her goblet. She looked concerned for a moment, and when Lav was about to ask her what was up, she said, "Draco said he'll bring some beer tonight."

* * *

When everyone was finished eating, the prefects led the first years to the common rooms and explained about the passwords.

"Don't let anyone from another house have the password, under any circumstances. All the prefects and the Heads will be able to get in, but the only professors that can get in will be the Heads of that particular House, Headmaster Malfoy, and Mr. Filch," Blaise said, liking his position of authority. "Don't screw up. It annoys me. If you need to get ahold of your prefect, me, don't bother coming to the suite, just get an owl, or tell the portrait of the Veela in the common room. There's one of her in my room, so if I'm not busy, she'll let me know." Blaise muttered the password and stepped through the portrait hole into the Slytherin Dungeons. The first years followed, and Blaise chose a couple of third years to assign dorms and give a quick tour of the facilities, and he pulled May aside.

"So, the other prefects, and the Heads, are getting together tonight, for a little fun. Interested?"

"Maybe," May said, slyly. "What kind of fun are we talking about?"

"The kind with you, me, beer, and whatever else comes to mind," he said, drawing a finger down her jawline, smiling a lopsided smile that drove girls crazy.

"Count me in," she said, tilting up her chin.

"See you at nine," he whispered, leaning toward her, his lips very close, but he pulled back before they touched. He smiled at her, and walked away.

* * *

At nine o'clock, Blaise climbed through the portrait hole of the prefects room with May in tow. "Reindeer? What the hell kind of password is that?" he asked, shaking his head. Hermione, who was on the couch flipping through a magazine, laughed.

"It was the first thing that came to mind. You guys can change it later."

The portrait opened once more, and Draco entered, levitating a case of beer and a couple bottles of firewhiskey in front of him. "Drinks are here," he said, setting them down on the coffee table.

Blaise reached for a bottle, twisted off the cap and handed it to May. He grabbed another for himself and clinked the two bottles together as if to say cheers. May smiled shyly, and raised the bottle to her lips.

Hermione poured out six shots of the firewhiskey, and as Justin walked past, he grabbed a glass and tipped it back.

"Hey! That's for the game!" Hermione said, grabbing the shot glass from him and refilling it next to the others.

"Sorry, you guys got me started on it," he laughed, and so did Hermione, remembering Justin's first taste of Firewhiskey.

Lav walked in, wearing a baby doll t-shirt and low slung flannel pants. "I'm here now, let's get this party started." She flopped down on the floor in front of the fireplace, and took a shot.

"Dammit, leave those alone, you guys!" Hermione yelled.

"Chill, girl," Lav said. She pulled out her wand and flicked it toward the bottle. It magically refilled the empty shotglass. Lav smirked at Hermione, and Hermione shot her a dirty look. Then lifted a glass of her own and swallowed its contents. She popped open a beer for a chaser.

"Do we really have to play Truth or Dare?" Blaise asked, tearing his gaze away from May. "I'd much rather play strip poker."

May giggled, "Me too."

"No, it's Truth or Dare!" Lav said firmly. "Draco, what'll it be?"

"Me? Why do I have to go first? Blaise is right, this is stupid!"

Lav just looked at him expectantly. "Fine," he huffed. "Truth."

"Wuss," she said, laughing. "How old were you when you got the Mark?"

"That's stupid, Lav, everyone knows he was 15!" Blaise yelled.

"Okay, okay, who was your first lover?"

Draco rolled his eyes. That was becoming a habit of his. "Hermione."

"I already knew that!" Lav said, "Let me ask you another!"

"No! My turn's up. How bout you, Lav, truth or dare?" Draco asked her.

"Dare," she said, smirking.

"I dare you to kiss May."

"Hey!" May exclaimed.

Draco laughed. He had to loosen that girl up, she was way too uptight, and he couldn't figure out what Blaise saw in her. Maybe a little girl-on-girl action would free her inhibitions.

"You're on," Lav said, looking Draco in the eye. She stood up, stalked over to May, put her hands on either side of May's face, and planted a loud smacking kiss on her lips. "Satisfied?" Lav asked.

"For now," Draco smiled. He looked at May, who still had a shocked expression on her face.

"Who's next?" Hermione said.

"You!" Ty exclaimed. "Truth or Dare, Herm."

"Dare, of course."

"Okay," Ty grinned. "I dare you to take three consecutive shots of firewhiskey and chug the rest of that beer."

Hermione sneered, and set up the drinks. She was taking a couple deep breaths, preparing herself, and as she picked up the first glass and tipped it back, Justin spoke up. "Oh, shit! She's not much of a drinker, she's gonna be blitzed!"

"Shh, I wanna see her barf it all up!" Blaise said.

"She won't hurl. She can handle it," Draco replied.

Hermione had just slammed the third shot glass on the table, and was in the midst of downing the beer. It was almost gone, when Lav stood up in front of her, and flashed her. Hermione laughed and spat the beer out. "Dammit, Lav, I was almost done! That wasn't my fault, I did my dare!" Hermione wiped off her face, and turned back to Ty.

"Truth or Dare?" she asked, giggling.

"I'm afraid of what you'll dare me to do, so I pick truth."

Hermione hiccupped, and then narrowed her eyes. "How many people have you slept with?"

"Four," he said evenly. "Though I have my eye on someone, so I'm sure it will be five by then end of the week. Your turn," he said, turning to Justin. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Justin said, laughing.

"You guys! This is going to get boring! Quit asking for truths!" Lav yelled.

"Justin, how far have you gotten with Lav?" Ty asked.

"Haha, I bet they've only held hands!" Hermione put in.

"So?" asked Justin. "I only met the girl today!"

Everyone laughed, so Justin did something unexpected. He turned to Lav, shoved her up against the couch she was sitting in front of, and kissed her hard. She squeaked her protests beneath him, but then gave up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He then proceeded to sneak a hand up her shirt, and felt her up. Then he pulled back, smirking. "What was that, second base?"

"Dude!" Blaise yelled, holding up a hand for a high-five.

Lav straightened her shirt and said, "Am I going to end up kissing everyone tonight?"

"NO!" Draco yelled.

"Yes!" Blaise yelled. "If you play your cards right!"

"We aren't playing cards," May said.

Blaise tried to contain himself and held back a laugh. "Here baby, have another beer. Wait, drink this real fast first," he said, shoving a shot glass into her hand.

'How did this girl get into Slytherin?' Draco asked Hermione telepathically.

'I have NO idea,' she said, 'but get out of my head! It's already spinning from my dare!'

As May scrunched up her face at the firewhiskey and then swallowed the beer, Justin said to her, "Truth or Dare?"

May looked around like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh, Dare?"

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Lav said, reclining on the couch Justin had just attacked her on.

"Alright," Justin said, nodding slightly. "I dare you to kiss Lav."

"NO! I already kissed her! Sort of..."

"Fine, kiss Hermione."

"Nobody kisses Hermione except me!" Draco spoke up. "Dare her something else."

"Okay then," Justin smirked. "May, I dare you to run through the potions hallway in nothing but those boots."

"You guys!" May protested, "I'll get in trouble!"

"No, you won't," Blaise said, "The Heads and prefects are all here! It's not past curfew for another five minutes. Hurry up!"

"This is SO not fair!" May grumbled, standing up. She grabbed a throw blanket from the back of the sofa and wrapped herself in it, and actually surprised everyone when she removed her shirt beneath it and tossed it at Blaise. Next her bra, then skirt and panties. She stalked over to the door, blanket still wrapped, and leaned her head out the portrait hole. The potions hallway was just around the corner, and the coast was clear. If she hurried up, maybe no one would see her. Everyone stood up to stand in the doorway, and May took a deep breath. She tossed the blanket aside, and took off running for the potions hall.

Just as she got there, Ty yelled, "Streaker! Streaker in the potions hall!"

May screamed, and started to run back to the portrait hole, but Ty blocked her way. "Let me back in! Someone probably heard you, dammit, hurry up!"

Ty stood there, laughing, just as a couple first years turned the corner. May took off her boot and smacked him in the head with it. Ty moved aside, rubbing his head, and she came back into the common room. She was fuming, and didn't even bother to hide herself as she redressed. "You'll pay for that, Doddard," she glared at him as she zipped her skirt. She sat down on the floor next to Blaise and grabbed the beer bottle right from his hand and chugged it. She didn't notice Justin wink at Blaise, the guy code for 'you're gonna get some tonight.'

"Truth or Dare, Blaise?" May asked, still mad.

"Truth."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you enjoying my humiliation?"

"Yes! Draco's turn again!"

"That was SO not the question!" May protested.

"Too bad, you asked it. Drake?"

Draco laughed. "I'll be gutsy, Dare."

"Dude, I dare you to put on a cloak and pretend to be the Dark Lord, and scare some first years."

"Like he'd come here on the first day!" Hermione laughed, drunkly reaching for another shot.

"Like the first years would know that!" Blaise said. "Do it, dude, or pay the consequence."

"I'll do it," Draco said, standing up. "But it's after curfew now, so which dorms do you want me to go in?"

"Slytherin, they're right down the hall," Blaise said.

Draco grabbed a cloak and left the room.

While he was gone, Justin said, "Hermione, truth or dare?"

Hermione was still giggling, the alcohol having quite an effect on her. "Dare!" she laughed.

"This is gonna be too easy," he said. "Herms, I dare you to give Draco a lap dance when he gets back in here."

"Okay!" she said. "But till he gets back, Lav, truth or dare?"

"I'll go for truth this time, I don't want to kiss anyone else!"

Hermione grasped her wand and flicked it to the corner, and conjured something. "I dare you to do a pole dance!"

"Hermione I said 'truth!'" Lav laughed.

"Do it anyway!" yelled Ty.

"Okay, I will," Lav said, sticking out her tongue. She took another shot, and skipped over to the pole in the corner. "A little music?" she asked.

Ty magiced some smutty music, and Lav started, just as Draco walked back in, laughing at the first years' reactions. He flopped down next to Hermoine, and put his arm around her.

Everyone watched as Lav moved her hips to the music, running a hand up and down the pole. Then she grasped it and pressed her body against it, bending her knees and going down. She swayed her hips as she stood back up, and swung around it. She continued for a few minutes, but when she stuck out her tongue to lick the pole, Hermione burst out laughing, killing the mood.

Everyone else started laughing, too, and Lav said, "Hey! I was getting into that! Thanks for the interruption!" she pouted, sitting back down on the floor. "Do your dare, Herm!"

Hermione chugged the rest of her beer, and turned to Draco. May and Lav couldn't stop giggling. Hermione gave Draco a lap dance, much to Draco's surprise, but he didn't protest. He just made sure to keep his hands on the back of her skirt, so when she moved, the guys wouldn't see her underwear. She started to fall over, but Draco righted her, and sat her down next to him.

"You're too drunk to lap dance!" Lav squealed, as she nudged Ty, pointing to the liquor bottle and held out her shot glass.

"Hey, we're out of whiskey!" Ty complained as he poured the last few drops into Lav's cup.

"So, we still got beer," Draco said, tossing him one.

"This game is getting stupid!" Blaise said. "Let's play strip poker!"

"Yeah!" May said. "I'm good at that!"

Hermione stumbled her way to the mantle where she saw a deck of wizard cards. She sat back down, as everyone moved to position themselves around the table. She tried shuffling, but ended up scattering the cards all over.

"I'll do that, baby," Draco said, trying not to laugh at her. He gathered up the cards and quickly shuffled and dealt.

"Drake, tell us about the first years being scared!" Justin said, picking up the cards dealt to him.

Draco flipped his wand, and a hologram appeared on the table, and everyone watched and wailed in laughter as they saw a cloaked Draco tormenting the first year Slytherins. Then the image vanished.

"Um, I don't know how to play this game!" Lav spoke up, looking at her cards confusedly.

"Well I guess it's a good thing you aren't shy," Ty winked, "'Cause you're gonna lose!"

They played wizard poker for a while, until May passed out and slumped against Blaise.

"Dude, take her to her dorm, she's no fun anyway," Justin said.

Blaise stood up and flung May over his shoulder, her ass hanging out of her skirt. It wasn't anything they all hadn't seen, anyway. Hermione found this extremely funny, and clutched her stomach in a fit of giggles. Blaise winked at Draco as he climbed out the portrait hole. He'd have his hands full with her tonight.

Draco turned to Hermione and took the beer from her. "I think you've had enough, baby. I'll finish this for you." He swigged the beer, emptying the bottle.

"I gotta piss," Ty announced to everyone, stumbling to the bathroom.

"Hurry up, I gotta go, too!" Lav said, standing up. Justin reached up and pulled her back down, and she landed in his lap.

"Wait your turn," he whispered, and then kissed her, causing her to moan.

"That's our cue to leave. C'mon, Hermione. Let's go to our own room." Draco stood and held a hand out to her her. She reached out, and he hauled her up. She wasn't so light when she was drunk.

"Bye, guys! See you in Herbology tomorrow, Lav!"

"You have Herbology first thing in the morning?" Draco asked, leading her to thier tower.

"Yeah, ugh, your mom is going to see me hung over!"

"I'm sure she'll have a remedy," Draco laughed. They finally reached their room, and he led her to the bedroom. She was asleep before she even hit the pillow.


	20. 20

_A/N: MIA-missing in action_

_Thanks to my betas skittlebip and ireth, and all my reviewers! Make sure you review this chapter, too!!! :)

* * *

_

"Ba-by, wake u-p!" Draco whispered into Hermione's ear the morning following the Truth or Dare game. He gently caressed her cheek and blew into her ear.

Hermione mumbled something unintelligible, and rolled away from him, burying her head in the covers.

"Come on, baby, you gotta get up. It's the first day of class. What if we go over something really important, something that will be in the NEWTs?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, keeping her eyes closed. "We don't have NEWTs anymore." She turned back toward him, but when she tried to open her eyes, the sunlight forced her to close them again. She pulled the covers over her head and her muffled voice from below said, "My head hurts. I'm calling in sick today."

Draco laughed. "You can't call in sick on the first day of classes! You're head girl! What would Lucius say?"

"I don't care what he'd say!" she yelled, then winced, as the noise hurt her head further. "He can go snog your mum on the Slytherin table for all I care!"

"Ugh, Hermione! As if MY hangover wasn't bad enough, now I'm nauseous, too!" He rolled out of bed, and reached down, pulling the covers off her. She was still in the clothes she wore to the party, and they were all rumpled and crinkled. He had managed to get her shoes off last night, and her tie, which was draped on the bedpost. "Get up!" he yelled. He stormed off toward the bathroom.

When Hermione heard the shower running, she cautiously opened one eye. She glanced at the clock. Eight am. Class was in an hour, and as head girl, she was expected to be there. Although, this _might _be fun, if she could drag herself out of bed. The houses were only required to sit at their own tables during dinner. Hermione figured that May had to be in worse shape than she was, so she slowly got out of bed, gagging as her stomach churned. No more firewhiskey. Ever.

She padded her way into the bathroom, and peeled off her clothes, intending on joining Draco in the shower, praying he was too hung over to want to play. All she wanted was a hot shower and something to calm her stomach. She opened the shower door, and stepped in. Draco smirked at her, and exited, without saying a word. Damn, now she'd have to deal with him being mad at her, on top of her hangover. Not what she needed today.

She showered as quickly as possible, and the steamy water made her feel a little better, but her head was still pounding. She turned off the water and quickly toweled off, and headed for the bedroom. She was sad, yet happy, to see that Draco had already left. No confrontations concerning her attitude when she'd first waken up. There was a note on the pillow.

_Herm,_

_Here's a little something to make you feel better. Mum sends her love._

_Draco_

She picked up the vial attached to the parchment and sniffed it. It smelled awful. She shrugged and drank the contents. About ten seconds later, she felt like her old self again. Whatever that was, she had to thank Narcissa, and Draco, for having the guts to ask his mother for a hangover relief potion. Now chipper, Hermione got dressed, wearing Draco's Slytherin tie, fluffed her wavy hair, applied just a touch of lip gloss, and headed for the Great Hall.

* * *

It was full of chattering people, eager for the first day of class. Hermione didn't see Draco anywhere, but she did see a vacant seat next to Lav, Blaise and the others.

Lav scowled at her as Hermione sat gracefully, and said, "How the hell are you so happy today? You had more firewhiskey than I did, and I feel awful!"

Hermione laughed, and started to speak, but then the breakfast platters arrived.

"Waffles!" she said, enthusiastically. She greedily grabbed four, covered them in maple syrup, and ate as if she hadn't for ages. Well, this was the first thing other than steak and potatoes or eggs she'd had since they got to Hogwarts, save for the seafood feast the night of Justin's arrival. Hermione shuttered slightly at the though of fish, but quickly pushed that to the back of her mind as Draco appeared, sneering. He sat across from her, and plucked a strawberry from her plate. She sneered back. She was still mad at him for waking her in such a rude manner that morning.

"Where you been, dude?" Blaise asked, his voice croaking. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open due to the enchanted ceiling and its damn sunshine. He'd only taken a small bit of his waffle.

"Got somethin' for ya," Draco said, pulling out a large vial, containing the same blue liquid that he'd left for Hermione. He poured some into each of his friends' goblets.

"What's this?" Ty asked.

"Trust me, you'll love it," Hermione stated.

They all drank, except for May, who was nowhere to be seen. Moments later, they were all their normal selves again, chatting and happily eating their waffles.

"I have Transfiguration first," said Ty. "Is your dad gonna go easy on us today, Lav?"

"I don't know," she said. "Drake, is your mum gonna go easy on me and Hermione? We got Herbology first thing."

"Doubtful," Draco said through a mouthful of food. "She's never easy on anyone. Blaise, where's your girlfriend, anyway?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Blaise exclaimed.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Where is she? I got extra serum for her."

"Well, I don't have class till eleven, I'll take it to her. I left her on the couch in the common room."

"Blaise, you are such a jerk!" Lav said, back to her regular annoying happy self. "You could have at least put her in bed!"

"Like I was going to go down all those stairs, and not get laid," Blaise huffed. He ran a hand through his spiky hair, making sure it was standing up where it was supposed to. "Maybe she's a morning person. I'm outs." He jumped up and left, but then came running back, swooped up the bottle of blue liquid and dashed off.

"We better take a cue from him, and get to class." Draco stood up, reached for one more strawberry from Hermione's plate, and walked out.

They went their seperate ways, and Lav said, "Hermione, what's up with Draco this morning? Why's he being so cold toward you?"

"We had a fight this morning, no big deal. He wasn't very nice to me when he woke me up. That hangover was killer. Lav, let's stick with the longnecks from now on. Leave the whiskey to the guys."

"I agree," she nodded. "And let's not do it on school nights anymore.

"Deal." They headed toward the greenhouses.

* * *

"Welcome. I'm Professor Malfoy. I'm sure you will all be hearing plenty of first-day speeches today, and I don't feel like giving one, so just pretend that I've given one. We're jumping right in, today, and will be starting to harvest lysanthium. Make sure you don't damage the roots, that's the part we need. While the blooms are quite beautiful, they don't have much use other than perfume." Narcissa strolled up and down the aisles of the greenhouse, speaking clearly and concisely, occasionally stopping to confiscate something or give a glare to someone not paying attention.

"Mister Hardin, do you have something you'd like to share with the class?" she asked a tall blonde boy.

"No, ma'am," he said quietly.

After a few instructions, the class broke off into threes, and Hermione found herself without a group.

"Come here, Hermione," Professor Malfoy said from the front of greenhouse number five.

Hermione approached, and in a quite voice, Narcissa said, "I'm sure you recognize these flowers."

She nodded; they were one of the ingredients of the profilactic potion.

"Good. We will be serving this in the drinks tonight at dinner. Quitely have the prefects watch to see that everyone has some, and report those who don't. There will be NO pregnancies in my school. No need to tell the other students; it won't hurt them, and I don't want everyone thinking they can go off shagging all the time."

"You might want to give Blaise a double dose," Hermione giggled. She walked over to a group of Ravenclaws she didn't know, and asked if she could help.

"Sure," said the tallest boy. "I'm Greg. This is Ray and Eden."

"Nice to meet you. Watch that root, Eden! They need to be handled very carefully."

"Sorry," the girl said nervously. They worked in silence for a few minutes, until Eden knocked over her plant, spilling soil over the table. Wordlessly, Hermione helped her clean up the mess.

"Th-thanks," Eden stammered, and jumped when Hermione brushed against her sleeve.

"Enough. Why are you acting like this?" Hermione said. "I'm just a normal person. Just because I'm Head Girl, and have an in with the headmaster, doesn't mean you have to be afraid of me."

"Oh, no," Eden said. "I'm not afraid of you! It's just that I admire you so much. All that you've done for the Dark Lord is amazing! I just feel that I'm not good enough to be so close to you!"

"Oh please!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "You would have done exactly the same thing in my position."

"Yeah, probably," Eden said, a bit more relaxed, turning back to her newly repotted plant. "But I've always been on the dark side. It was so much more dramatic for you, having fought against us for so long, and all..." She trailed off, hoping not to anger Hermione, which she didn't.

"What can I say, my eyes were finally opened," she shrugged. "Ray, will you hand me that trowel?"

* * *

The next class for Hermione was Transfiguration. She hadn't seen this side of Avery before, or, should she say, Professor Avery. The class was quite good, and Hermione walked away feeling that she'd gained a lot from the hour spent there.

"Your dad's a pretty good teacher," Hermione said to Lav as they walked to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Ew, don't call him my dad when he's in teacher mode. You know he's totally different normally."

"Yeah, but he's still good."

They looked around for their friends, but supposed they hadn't gotten there yet. Instead, they sat with Hermione's new friends from Herbology. Eden was babbling incessantly about what she'd learned in Potions, but couldn't keep Hermione's attention. Potions with Lucius was not something she was really looking forward to. She loved Lucius like a father, but he had an arrogance around him when he was in educator mode. Who was she kidding, he had an arrogance about him constantly! It was just more pronounced in the classroom.

"Where is Draco?" Hermoine asked no one in particular, looking around the hall.

"Probably with Ty, Blaise and Justin. They're M.I.A., too." Lav said. "Hey look, there's May over there!" She pointed to a table across the room, where May was sitting with some other girls. "Looks like Blaise gave her the potion, and um... a little something else!"

Hermione's head whipped around, and noticed a dark red hickey on May's neck.

"That is so gross," Hermione said, disgusted, mentally noting to be sure May drank at supper tonight. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she was worried about Draco. They hadn't been apart for this long since she left the Order.

Lav sensed Hermione's distress and placed a hand over hers. "Don't worry; they're probably playing Quidditch or something."

"Ty doesn't play," Hermione noted.

"Well maybe Ty is somewhere else. Oh dammit, girl, let's go. I can see you won't relax until you know where he is." She dabbed her lips with a napkin, took another swig of water, and stood up, pulling Hermione up with her. They started for the Quidditch pitch.

Relief washed over Hermione when she saw brooms in the air. She and Lav quickened their pace, and saw that Draco was in fact there, with Justin and Bliase, and a couple other guys, but not Ty. They sat in the bleachers, chatting as they watched the guys practice. Draco glanced up and looked toward Hermione.

'Hey you,' Hermione sent.

'I'm busy.' He turned away, chasing after a quaffle. Nevermind the fact that he was a seeker.

Hermione's face flushed, and her breath caught in her throat.

"What's up, girl?" Lav asked.

"I, um, just want to go to my room and study," Hermione said, not wanting to share the real reason. Why was Draco being so mean? Was he still mad that she was grumpy this morning? He couldn't possibly be holding a hangover against her, could he? She replayed the conversation in her head on her way back to thier dorm, and it hit her. She'd made a comment about his parents shagging. That grossed him out beyond belief, and she'd used it against him when she was mad. Well, she'd just have to find a way to make it up to him.

* * *

Back in her dorm, she laid down on the couch with her Transfiguration book. She was reading through the chapter Avery had assigned when the portrait swung open. Draco entered, sweaty from Quidditch. This was the perfect time to make it up to him. She set the book aside, and got up from the sofa. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, but when she leaned in to kiss him, he pulled back.

"I'm all sweaty," he said emotionlessly.

"I know, it turns me on," she said seductively.

"I said don't," Draco retored. He disentangled her arms from him and went to the bathroom.

Hermione stood there dumbstruck for a moment, and then followed him. She slammed open the door, but he didn't turn to look at her. He kept washing his face at the sink.

"What's up with you?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," he said coldly. He dried off his face and peeled his sweaty shirt from his body. He threw it on the floor and brushed past her, into the bedroom. She followed.

He was taking off the rest of his clothes, rummaging through his closet for clean ones. His naked body was driving her crazy, but she didn't go to him. Instead, she laid down on the bed, looking toward him, and said, "Baby, I'm really sorry about this morning. I didnt' mean to upset you. I was in awful pain, and I just said the first thing that came to mind. I didn't realize I'd said it until it was too late. Can you forgive me?" she asked, playing with his tie that was around her neck.

Draco looked at her blankly. He pulled on his clothes, and started for the door. Hermione jumped up and ran toward him, grabbing his arm and spinning him back.

"Don't," Draco said. He shrugged free of her and left the room.

She followed him to the common room and as he was about to leave the portrait hole, she said, "Draco wait!"

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

Holding back tears, she bit her bottom lip. He started to go again when she didn't say anything, so she said, "Truth or dare!"

Draco whirled around, confused. "What the fuck?"

"Truth or dare," she said quietly.

"What the fuck are you playing at, Hermione? I have to leave, I don't have time for this."

Then, "I dare you to tell me why you won't forgive me." Her lower lip had escaped her teeth and was now trembling. Dammit, he couldn't hold back when her lip trembled. She had him now, and she knew it.

Draco closed his eyes and counted to ten in his mind. When he opened his eyes again, she was still standing there, almost in tears. He started for her, but only took half a step when he stopped and said, "That was a truth, not a dare." He turned back and left.

Hermione fell to the ground, hands to her face, sobbing. It was just a little comment! Everyone's parents shagged! Hers, too, if she could even remember them, which she didn't. They'd made jokes about it before, why was he so upset this time? She laid down on the stone floor and wept.

Later, she wasn't sure how much later, the portrait hole opened. "Draco?" she said, sitting up.

"No, sorry, hun, it's just me." Lav. "What's wrong?" She knelt next to her friend.

"Draco's still mad at me for something I said this morning. I apologized, and asked him to forgive me, but he just walked away."

Lav helped Hermione up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Several minutes later, Hermione was mostly calmed down. As the two trudged to double Potions, Lav said, "It's just a guy thing, he'll get over it. I mean, how long has it been, that it's just been the two of you? Quite a while, huh? Now that his guy friends are back, he's got a surge of macho-ism or something. He can't look whipped in front of his friends. Blaise was already razzing him about you being Draco's first. I think Blaise was just disappointed that Draco's reputation wasn't true. He looked up to him and then found out that it was him, Blaise, that deserved that reputation. It was kind of bittersweet, for him, I guess. Finding out that his idol wasn't what he thought, and also finding out that he 'deserved' that idol spot, seeing as how he's slept with at least half the girls at Hogwarts."

Hermione let out a little giggle at Lav's last comment. "So you're saying he's being a prick to me because Blaise is a slut?"

"Basically, yes. Guys are weird, Hermione. That's pretty much all I can say, guys are weird."

They walked into the potions dungeon. It was a little early, so they picked the seats they wanted. Hermione, being the bookworm she still was, sat right up front, while Lav found a seat at the back. Hermione smiled at Justin, who sat across the aisle from her. He gave her a weak smile back, as if to say, "Sorry your boyfriend's being an ass, but it's a guy thing."

The moment that class began, Lucius swept into the room. He was carrying quite a few scrolls, and tossed them onto his desk. He pulled out his wand, and flicked it. Ingredients appeared on a long table. He flicked it again at the blackboard, and instructions appearted.

"I've got quite a lot to get to, and you being sixth years, I'm sure you can handle this simple potion without instruction from me. Any questions go to Hermione or Justin. I have to get through this paperwork." He sat down. "One more thing, the sixth years that you are, you'll be making the potions on your own." The class was still and silent. Lucius looked up, tugging at his goatee. "Are you kidding me? You're sixth years! Do you really want an opening day speech? Fine! I'm Professor Malfoy. I'll be instructing you on Potions. You've done this five years already; don't fuck it up." He rolled his eyes and went back to his parchments.

Hermione stiffled a giggle as she was the first to stand up and head for the ingredients table. Great. Now SHE was rolling her eyes. It was the lysanthium root they'd harvested earlier. THEY were making the birth control potion! Of course, the name of the potion wasn't listed on the blackboard. She'd be surprised if anyone caught on to what they'd be brewing. But, she guessed, after Lucius, er, Professor Malfoy's orientation, she doubted anyone would ask.

After almost an hour, most students were done mixing the potions, which needed to brew for 24 minutes before adding the last ingredient, the lysanthium roots. Hushed whispers floated through the room. Hermione closed her eyes, trying to figure out a way to get Draco to forgive her.

The hushed chatter must have gotten Lucius' attention, because he looked up. When he didn't say anything, the chatter became a tiny bit louder, but still not excessive. Lucius' eyes landed on Hermione, whose eyes were still closed.

'Knock knock.'

Hermione's eyes popped open. Who the hell was knocking? Draco?

'No, sorry, it's just me.' Hermione's occlumency guard must have been down.

'Oh. Lucius. Hello. Shall I get the class in order?'

'No, I don't mind, as long as we get The Potion for dinner. Narcissa will freak out if it's not done. She has a thing against babies, I think.'

Hermione sent a mental giggle to him, not really wanting to talk.

'What's wrong?' Lucius asked.

'Just a little fight with Draco, I'm sure we'll be over it by dinner.'

'You've never fought before, have you?'

'No, this is the first.'

'I'm sure you'll work through it. What was it concerning? Too much Quidditch practice?'

'No, I'd rather not talk about it, thanks,' Hermione sent, but accidentally sent the image of Lucius and Narcissa on the rug in the Hall.

Lucius' face paled. 'Is that why you're fighting?'

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to send that. Hell, I didn't mean to SEE it!'

'I'm sure. So Draco saw, too? That would be traumatizing...'

'No, he didn't see, but he kept pushing and pushing for me to tell him what I saw, and finally I couldn't take it anymore and blurted it out, mentally of course. That day in the Hall, when we ran out.'

'Oh, I remember. And he's been mad ever since?'

'No, but I sort of slipped and said something to Justin the other night, and then this morning, when I was hung over, er, I mean, I had a headache-'

Lucius chuckled.

'-I sort of said something else, which I didn't mean, but he wouldn't stop bothering me, and I just wanted to stay asleep' Hermione said desperately. 'Lucius, please don't tell him I told you! I don't think he'll ever forgive me, and especially not if he knows you know!'

'I won't say anything, I promise. He'll come around.'

'Yeah, that's what Lav said.'

'You told Lavendar Avery?' A weird expression crossed his face.

'No! I only told her he's mad at me!'

'Good. Some things are better left private, which is why I won't say anything, not even to Narcissa. Speaking of, just how much DID you see?'

Hermione smacked her hands up over her eyes and scrunched her nose.

'Nevermind.' Lucius laughed again. 'Twenty-four minutes are up. Add the lysanthium.'

* * *

Hermione had called a prefects meeting shortly before dinner to fill them in on The Potion that would be in tonight's supper.

"No, don't tell them, Blaise! And don't think this means you can go shag everyone that walks past you!"

Blaise laughed and said, "Why not? You and Draco share a bed, dammit, I ain't gonna be sleeping alone all year!"

"Ugh, don't EVEN bring some little sluts into our dorm!" Lav screeched. "Or at least KEEP them in your room, not in the common room, and EW! No sex in the bathtub!"

"Hear hear," Ty said.

"Fine, fine. Hey, where's Draco? Shouldn't he be at this little meeting?"

"Well, he's not a prefect, is he?" Hermione asked shortly. "Just make a note of anyone who doesn't drink water or pumpkin juice tonight and tell Narcissa." She turned on her heel and entered the Great Hall. Since it was dinner, they had to sit at the house tables. She sat down, but kept her eyes on her empty plate for a while. She could feel someone looking at her, but she knew it wasn't Draco, so she didn't look up.

"Hermione?" asked a familiar voice. She couldn't place it, so she did indeed look up.

"Dean?" It was him, Dean Thomas. She didn't think he'd be here at Dark Hogwarts. He seemed to have been stuck further up Harry Potter's ass than she'd been.

"Shocked to see me, huh?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, to put it mildly," she said.

"Yeah, well, you know how things are. So, what's up with Justin? Can you believe a Hufflepuff is actually the son of a VERY prominent Death Eater?"

"Yeah," Hermione felt herself relaxing a bit as the food arrived. Thankfully it wasn't steak, but chicken. Ew, potatoes! But at least it wasn't steak. She filled her plate with the meat and a huge portion of vegetables, and said, "I didn't really believe it at first, either. But Draco told me, the day that we killed Dumbledore, McGonagall and Lupin. Well, Draco killed Lupin, I didn't kill anyone that night. But I think Justin is adapting very well. He's going to try out for Quidditch, and Draco says he'll probably be captain, since almost all of Hufflepuff didn't return to school."

"Yeah, but they still got quite a few students. I'd say they might actually get a half-way decent team together. I saw Justin flying after lunch today, he's pretty good on a broom. Wonder why he didn't go for it before?"

"Ernie MacMillian, mostly," Hermione replied. She was looking around to see who was drinking while talking with Dean. Then she looked back at him. He was quite handsome, tall and dark like in the romance novels. "Here, Dean, let me pour you some pumpkin juice."

* * *

Hermione almost dreaded going back to her room. She didn't want to face Draco if he was still mad at her. She spent the better part of three hours in the library, finishing up all her homework for the day and reading ahead in her books. She looked at the time, it was ten o'clock. Grudgingly, she loaded up her belongings and headed for her dorm.

She tossed her bag on the couch, and looked for any signs of Draco. He didn't seem to be there. She brushed her teeth, then her hair. She was about to put it up in a ponytail, but decided to leave it down, like Draco liked it. She slipped into a long black nightgown made of silk and headed for thier bedroom. He still wasn't there. She crawled into the enormous bed, feeling so small without him. She couldn't sleep without him next to her, so she moved to his side of the bed, and laid her head on his pillow. She breathed in his scent, and drifted into a restless sleep. She didn't stir when an hour later, Draco silently slipped into the room, and into bed next to her. As they slept, they unconsciously moved their bodies toward the other.

When dawn came, Draco woke first. He gently untangled his limbs from Hermione's, careful not to wake her, and pulled his fingers out of her hair. Then he got out of bed, dressed silently, and left.


	21. 21

When Hermione awoke the next day, she kept her eyes closed and savored the memories of her dreams. In her subconscious, Draco wasn't mad at her; he held her while she slept. Then a frown crossed her brow, as she realized she was in bed alone, that it really must have been a dream. Listlessly, she got ready to face the day. Gathering what she'd need for the first part of the day, she heard a knocking at the portrait.

"Lav," she said when she answered, disappointed.

"Yeah, don't sound so enthusiastic to see me," she said teasingly. "I gather from your disposition that you and lover boy didn't make up last night."

"No. I fell asleep before he got back, and he was gone when I woke up." They trudged through the hallways together, toward the Great Hall for breakfast. Not even the pancakes cheered her up. Wanting to change the subject, Hermione turned to Lav and said, "So what's up with you and Justin?"

"Oh. Well. I don't really know," Lav said, frustrated. "He seemed to be really into me on the train, and at the party when he assaulted me with those sexy lips of his, but he's been distant since classes started back up."

"You guys don't talk in the prefect common room?"

"Yeah but only about homework and stuff. There ARE four of us living there ya know. Never thought I'd say it, but it sucks being the only girl in a housefull of hotties."

"Houseful?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up, disappearing in her bangs. "Did you say houseful? Of hotties?"

Lav turned to Hermione so she could face her fully. "In case you haven't noticed, Ty is quite good looking, and Blaise, oh Blaise. He's fuckin' hot! How could you _not_ have noticed that the boy literally oozes sexualilty?"

Hermione blinked, silently.

Lav's eyes almost popped out of her head. "You haven't noticed? He's only _THE_ most gorgeous guy at Hogwarts! God, he's even sexier than Draco!"

Hermione jumped at this. "You think my boyfriend is sexy?"

Lav smirked. "Yeah, along with the rest of the student body. God Hermione, how can you NOT notice that every girl in school envies you? Not just for your full-blown Death Eater status, but for your man! Aaaaand, I am also incredibly jealous of May. I can't believe Blaise shagged her the first morning here!"

"Well, knowing Blaise, which I don't, but I've heard all about him, he'll be on to his next conquest before lunch."

"Yeah? Well if Justin doesn't start paying attention to me, I might just be that next conquest!" Lav exclaimed.

The girls hurried off to their first class of the day, History of Magic. When they realized it was with the Hufflepuffs, Lav excitedly looked for Justin. She finally spotted him in the back, already surrounded by a group of his new friends. She sighed, and she and Hermione found seats at the front of the class.

An hour crawled by, listening to Professor Binns drone on and on about the Higgerby Invasion of 1903. Lav couldn't pay attention, but Hermione, of course, had about three scrolls of notes by the class' end.

"What's next?" Lav asked as they walked through the hallway.

"Direction of the Dark Arts," Hermione read from the schedule. "With Slytherin!"

Lav knew what Hermione was thinking; that she'd be able to see Draco for the first time since yesterday. They entered the classroom and took seats in the middle, with a couple free seats next to them, hopefully for Draco and Blaise. As starting time drew nearer and there was no sign of the guys, Hermione began to fret. When the seats they'd been saving got occupied, Hermione knew their fight would not be over as soon as she'd hoped. As the second hand of the clock ticked into place, Draco and Blaise slipped into the room, sitting at the back.

Hermione found it very difficult to concentrate on class, and had just resolved that she'd have to actually get notes from someone else, for the first time in her life. But Professor Bronwyn called on her to answer a question, and she embarrassingly didn't know the answer, probably only because she hadn't heard the question.

"I asked you to explain to the class Occlumency."

"Oh, sorry." Hermione regained her composure, and monotonously explained the principals of blocking your mind to others' advances.

"Very good, Hermione. Ten points to Griffindor. Mr. Malfoy," he said, shifting focus, "How does one enter the mind of an unsuspecting person?"

As Draco answered the question, Hermione felt her face flush, remembering all the conversations they'd had with each other mentally. What was wrong with their relationship? She thought everything was going along perfectly. They'd had so much fun with their friends playing Truth or Dare, even if it was a childish game. She didn't think he'd honestly be mad that she passed out when they got back to their room. There'd been plenty of nights when they'd gone to right to sleep. Well, not plenty, she surmised, but several. He coudn't really be upset over her comment about his parents shagging, could he? She'd thought that was what it was, but it just didn't fit. She wondered if something happened yesterday, after he'd woken her up and left. Maybe that was it. Maybe it had nothing to do with her at all. Lav had said something about macho stuff, the guys harassing him for being whipped or whatever, but Hermione knew that wasn't it. Well, Blaise had said something about him being whipped, but Draco said he wasn't; he was in love. No, it had to be something else.

Hermione snapped back to reality, and heard Draco's voice, still talking about legilimens. She turned around to look at him, as several other students were, too. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and although she didn't send him a mental message, inside she plead for him to acknowledge her; let her know what was wrong so she could fix it. His eyes dashed away from hers, back to Professor Bronwyn's, and he kept talking like nothing in the world was wrong.

Next, Professor Bronwyn called on someone else, and Hermione was once again sidetracked. It was so hard to called him "Professor." Harder, even, than to call Lucius by his name. Weird, that she always wanted to refer to Draco's dad as Mr. Malfoy, or sir, or Headmaster. Time and time again, he'd told her to call him Lucius when not in the presence of students or other teachers, and she'd oblige, but felt very uncomfortable doing it. Not quite so much since their mental talk yesterday, but it was still weird.

Bronwyn had never asked her to call him Horatio. That name didn't seem to fit him. He was just "Bronwyn." Even after their lessons, right before she went back with Lupin, he was just "Bronwyn." Or "Justin's dad." No one ever seemed to call him by his first name. Hermione had to bite her tongue several times when talking about him to other students, making sure to put the "Professor" in front of his name.

"That'll be enough for today. I know class isn't over for about ten more minutes, but if you keep it down, you can talk until it's time to leave," Professor Bronwyn said, turning to some papers on his desk. Hermione noticed that all her teaches had so much paperwork to get through, and if Draco didn't come around soon, she'd offer her services to them. She wondered if it was school paperwork, or Death Eater paperwork. Either way, she'd be more than happy to help.

Hermione grabbed Lav's scrolls and looked over the notes. Looks like she didn't miss anything this lesson, she already knew everything they'd gone over. Thankfully, her distractedness wasn't going to interfere with ALL her classes! Rolling the parchments back up, she tucked them into Lav's bag. Lav, however, was not paying attention, as she'd finally caught Justin's eye, and was sitting on his desk, laughing at something he'd said. Hermione decided to take this opportunity, and attempt to talk to Draco, but as she walked over to his desk, the clock signaled that it was time to leave. At least it was lunch time. Draco hurried off, leaving her standing alone.

Hermione went to the Heads tower, intending to drop off her books and ... she didn't know what else, but she wasn't in the mood for food. She went into the bedroom and threw herself down on the bed on her stomach, propping her head up with her crossed arms, and gazed out the window, toward the Quidditch pitch. She knew after eating, many of the guys would probably head out there for some fun, until next class. Maybe she'd catch a glimpse at Draco. He always looked so peaceful while flying, the wind whipping through his hair. There was always a light in his eyes when he was flying, one she couldn't describe. She loved to watch him when he didn't know it, and she'd been doing it for years, even when she was still friends with Ron and Harry. She didn't really realize she'd done it back then, but thinking back on it now, she knew she'd always been strangely drawn to Draco. But then one day, Harry caught her attention in a new way. That's when she decided she must be in love with him-Harry. She laughed. What she felt for Harry, before he betrayed her, was nothing even close to love. She knew real love now, with Draco.

'Oh Draco, why do you have to be so upset with me?' A silent tear trickled down her cheek. Angrily, she wiped it away and got up. Enough was enough. She had to find him, and find out what the damn problem was. It needed to be fixed, now.

Just as she got to the doorway, she saw him. Draco was there! Would he finally talk to her? Cautiously, she took a step toward him. She hadn't felt this nervous around him, ever. Not even their first night together in the cabin.

He looked across the room at her. Was he going to storm off? His eyes locked on hers.

'Please tell me,' she sent him.

'I can't.'

'Can't, or won't?'

"I said I can't!" he spoke aloud. This frightened Hermione, and she jumped. She looked at him silently for a moment, and then started to cry. She didn't bother wiping the tears away this time. She put her hands over her face and slumped down onto the cold stone floor.

"Shit," she heard him say. She continued to cry.

"Just stop it!" he yelled. "Not everything has to do with you, you know!"

Shocked, Hermione looked up at Draco. "Then tell me."

"No!"

Hermione stood up. "If it doesn't have to do with me, then why won't you tell me, so I can help you fix it?" she said, barely above a whisper. When he didn't answer, she spoke again, in her normal tone. "If this is how it's going to be, Draco, then I'm done. I love you with my whole being, I'd even defy the Dark Lord for you, but I won't stay here and be ignored anymore, Draco. I won't let you treat me like this." She picked up her school bag from the table she'd put it on earlier, and left.

Running down the halls now, she heard him yell her name. "Hermione!"

She turned around, stopping quickly. 'Are you going to tell me?' she mentally asked.

'I said I can't. I'm sorry.'

'I'm sorry, too.'

She took off running again. Where was she going to go? Griffindor common room? Prefects common room? She didn't know if she wanted to talk to anyone about this right now, not even Lav. She decided to go to the Room of Requirement, until she could figure out what to do.

'What the hell did I just do? Did I really walk out on him? Did I really just break up with Draco?' Her head was spinning, and she was grateful when a teapot and cup appeared. She sat down, shakily pouring herself a cup of the steaming liquid. She feld cold inside, almost dead. The person who had helped her change her entire life, into something of perfection, was now in her past. She loved him so much! The war of words inside her head continued, one side telling her to run back to him, the other saying nothing would change; if Draco couldn't trust her enough to tell her what was wrong, the rest of her life would go on, like the past two days had been. What was she going to do?

She knew she couldn't live without Draco, but she couldn't live with the way he'd been treating her. Obviously, something happened that affected him greatly, but why wouldn't he tell her? "Not everything's about you," he'd said. So, it really wasn't about her. Then what was it about? Did the Dark Lord ask him to do something he didn't want to do? No, he'd do whatever was told of him without question. Did he get pissed off that Draco had impersonated him during Truth or Dare to scare some first years? Doubtful. He'd probably find it funny. Then what the hell was it?

Hermione stalked around the Room of Requirement for a couple hours, trying to find a logical explanation for Draco's behavior, and also one to why she broke up with him. Oh, she _knew_ why, she just couldn't fathom that it had really happened. They'd only been together for about three months, but to Hermione, it seemed like a lifetime.

Her stomach growled. She looked at the clock, and realized there was about tweny minutes left of lunch, until she had to go to Charms. She headed down to the Great Hall, but only to grab a sandwich or something to take with her. She didn't want to talk to anyone. Except Draco. She sighed.

She swiped a sandwich and quickly fled the Hall. In one of the corridors, she found herself face to face with Blaise, literally, as both had not been watching where they were going.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled.

"It's okay," Blaise said warily. "I, um, just heard. About..." he trailed off.

"Yeah," she said quietly. Then, "Would you tell Draco I'll take all the patrols tonight? No need for both of us to be out there."

"Um, yeah. Okay," Blaise said confusedly. He walked away with an eyebrow raised, in thought.

'That was weird,' she thought. 'I wonder if he heard we broke up. He didn't seem to know what I'd meant. Oh shit! What if Blaise knows what's really wrong with Draco?'

"Blaise!" she yelled, turning around. He was already gone. She was about to run after him, then the magical clocks alerted her she was going to be late for Charms.

Throughout the class, she couldn't concentrate. This was really beginning to be a problem for her. She really hoped that Lav wouldn't mind letting her borrow her notes again. Hey, where was Lav? Hermione looked around, but her friend was nowhere to be seen. Great, now she'd _have_ to pay attention and take her own notes. Why did this lesson have to be a double???

* * *

During her solo patrols that night, Hermione bumped into Madam Hooch.

"Hermione!" the old witch yelled, running after her.

She stopped and turned around, plastered on a fake smile. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Since you're doing patrols already, would you mind tacking up these flyers in all common rooms and main hallways?"

"Sure, what are they for?" she asked.

"Quidditch tryouts will be in two weeks. But you already knew that, didn't you? Being so close to the Slytherin captain and all." Hermione was sure Hooch winked one of her freaky black eyes at her.

"Oh, um, yes, I did. I'll be sure these are posted, Madam Hooch."

"Thanks deary. Will I see you there, cheering on your man?"

"Oh, doubtful. With practices so often, I'll most likely be doing most of his Head work, and all the prefects except Lavendar Avery are planning on playing Quidditch, so it looks like I'll be taking up that slack, too."

Madam Hooch said something else, patted her on the shoulder, and took off.

Hermione tacked up the first poster. Well, at least what she said was true. She'd be so busy with duties, she probably wouldn't have time to miss Draco so much. Yeah right.

She glanced a clock in the corridor. It was past eleven, maybe Draco would be asleep, so she could sneak into their room and grab some clean robes and such. On her way, she stopped at the house common rooms to hang flyers. Slytherin was closest to the Head tower, so it would be last. She approached the dungeon's portrait hole and was about to murmur the password when it opened. Draco stepped out. They stared silently at each other for a few moments, then Draco spoke. "What are you doing down here?" he said nervously.

Hermione opened her mouth but nothing came out. She held out the Quidditch flyer.

Draco nodded, so slightly, she almost missed it. He turned and walked away, in the opposite direction of the Head tower. Hermione sighed, and entered Slytherin. A couple people were still in the common room, and she waved at May and Blaise, who were sitting on the floor by the fireplace. She walked over to a bulletin board and posted the flyer. Immediately, the broom at the top of the parchment caught Blaise's eye and he ran over to read it. As Hermione was leaving, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw it was May.

Her eyes were filled with concern. "I'm sorry, Hermione. News like that," she shuddered, "I-" something over Hermione's shoulder caught her eye, and May said, "-gotta go."

Hermione turned to see what it was, and it was Blaise. She strained to hear what he was saying to May. "told you.... doesn't know... mouth shut... you aren't supposed to know either... me regret telling you...."

What the fuck was going on? Blaise knew the truth? May knew? Who else knew? Hermione turned on her heel and stalked out of the dungeons. She wasn't messing around with this anymore, she wasn't even going to find Draco. She was going straight to his father.

She hoped Lucius wouldn't be in his chambers. All that paperwork, he was probably in his office. Hopefully alone. She gave the password, and entered. She was right, Lucius was pouring over scrolls and parchments, and was annoyed at the intrusion. Seeing it was her, he brightened. "Ah, Hermione, what a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe this honor?"

"Cut the shit, _Lucius_," she emphasized his name. "Tell me what's going on."

"I don't know what you mean," he said.

"You know bloody well what I mean. Tell me what Draco's damn problem is."

"He didn't tell you?" Lucius asked, shocked.

"No, but apparently he told everyone else." She sat. Sighed. "We broke up," she said softer.

"What?" Lucius bellowed. "When?"

"Somewhere around lunch, I think," she said.

"What the bloody hell for?"

"Because he was treating me like shit!" she yelled. "Ignoring me, avoiding me, and when he _WAS_ with me, he just yelled at me, and wouldn't tell me what the fuck was wrong! So-" softer now, "I ended it. I'm moving into the Room of Requirement."

Lucius looked older then, and drained. "Hermione, look. I do know what's up. But I shouldn't tell you; it's not my place. Technically, I don't_ actually_ know what it is, but I've got a general idea. He said he needed to tell you before he told me."

"Well he's not telling me anything," Hermione said softly, a tear escaping.

Lucius rose from his seat and walked around the desk. He didn't know how to do this comforting thing, so he sat on the edge of his desk and just looked at her. Another tear. Why the hell did she have to cry? Tears never affected him when he was torturing someone, but coming from Hermione, or Narcissa, they were like daggers in his veins. "Hermione, don't cry. He's just not ready to tell you. It _IS_ an awful lot to take in, whatever it is. He's been distant with his mother and me, too, ever since yesterday after Divination. Look, all I know was, he was asked to stay after class, and Trelawney came in to ask Firenze something."

Hermione got quiet. "Trelawney? Do you think she had a premonition? Isn't she supposed to stay in her little tower, or something?"

Lucius' face contorted. He nodded, very slowly. "Perhaps. That would explain why Firenze hasn't been at any meals since then. Hermione, do you think-"

"I have to go to him!" Hermione jumped up, hugged a surprised Lucius, and ran for the Heads tower.

By the time she got there, she was panting. She stopped outside the portrait to catch her breath, and the painted man with spectacles asked her, "Password, dear?"

"Basilisk."

"Sorry, that's not it anymore."

Hermione angered. "Let me the fuck in! I'm Head Girl here, I have access to **ALL** parts of the castle! Open up, you bloody bastard!"

"Bloody bastard, that's it. You may enter."

Bloody bastard? Draco must have been mumbling when he picked the new key, or something. She leapt in, looking everywhere for him, but she didn't see Draco anywhere.

"Draco?" she yelled out. "Draco, where _are_ you? Stop hiding, I know what's wrong!" She looked in all the rooms, but he wasn't there. Frustrated, she stood in the middle of their common room, looking around. After a moment, she heard the squeak of the portrait and jerked her head around to see who it was. Draco!

She ran to him, intending to throw herself into his arms, but he stopped her. "What are you doing here?" he said evenly.

"I- I know what happened. Why didn't you tell me?"

"How do you know? Who told you?"

"No one had to tell me, Draco. I _am_ a bloody genius afterall, I figured it out."

Draco looked weary. "So you know what it said?"

"No." She looked down at her feet. "I only know what something was prophecized." She reached for him and he didn't pull back this time. "Will you tell me, baby, please?" she whispered.

Draco listlessly walked over to the couch and collapsed. Hermione rushed over to him, and saw a tear trickled down his cheek, but he hastily wiped it away. She sat down gently next to him, and coaxed his face toward hers by putting her hand on his chin. They looked at each other, then he engulfed her in his arms. The force knocked her back against the arm of the couch. She could feel his tears on her shoulder. "Baby, what happened?" she whispered.

Not lifting his head, he said, "That Trelawney freak went all rigid and her voice got raspy, and I tried to leave, but Firenze made me stay, and she said the most awful thing!" Hermione thought at this moment Draco looked like a child.

She stroked his hair away from his face and softly said, "What did she say?"

"She said," he choked, "that a woman very close to me," another sob, "will be stricken ill and taken from my life!" He began to cry freely now.

She held him close, rocking gently. She understood now, why he'd been so distant. It all made sense. She didn't know what to say, she just held him. After Draco had run out of tears, he looked up at her. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you. I love you. Please don't leave me."

"Shh.. I love you too. We won't let it happen, we'll find a way to stop it."

"Hermione," he said desperately, "what will I do without you? What'll I do if it's my mum? What if she dies? What if one of you dies?"

Hermione touched her lips softly to his, then, "Neither one of us is going to die. I promise."

Hermione comforted Draco for a while, until she realized he'd fallen asleep with his head in her lap. Gently so as not to wake him, she got up and conjured a blanket to cover him. Then she left the common room and went back to Lucius' office, to tell him what she found out.

* * *

"ELF!" Lucius roared. A house elf appeared out of the shadows.

"Y-yes, sir?" it trembled.

"Go get Trelawney and Firenze and bring them to me immediately! GO!" The elf slunk away quickly.

Lucius turned again to Hermione, eyes boring into hers. "You're sure that's what he said?"

"I wish it weren't so, but that's what he told me."

"I won't have this," Lucius stormed. "This will be stopped."

"Sir-Lucius," she corrected, "How are we going to prevent one of us from falling ill?"

"We'll take you both to St. Mungo's. No, fuck that, they're a bunch of Potter worshippers. We'll go to Dark Night in Spain. They'll run a battery of tests on you both, and fix it now. Before it makes whichever one of you sick."

"But the prophecy-"

"Fuck the prophecy! We'll change the bloody prophecy!"

They were interruped by Firenze and Trelawney.

"Sir, what can I do for you?" Trelawney asked.

"Tell me of your vision," he said.

"Vision, my lord?" she asked confusedly.

"She doesn't remember it, sir, she never remembers them. I was there; I heard it all."

"And?"

"It was rather...vague, sir. She glazed over, turned to your son and said, 'The woman closest to thee, shall be stricken feverishly ill, so mightily and quickly, and her life shall end at the mercy of the Angel of Death.' Then she repeated it twice, and snapped back into her normal self."

"Would you dare to lie to me?" Lucius said evenly.

"No, my lord. I speak only the truth," Firenze said. "Draco then shoved Ms. Trelawney out of the room and told me speak not of this to anyone; that it was he who should inform you all. Forgive me for not speaking up, I was just respecting Draco's wishes."

Hermione's alarmed eyes found Lucius'. "It's you," he whispered. "You're closest to him at this point in his life."

* * *

In the Head tower, Draco awoke suddenly. He was alone. "Hermione!" he screamed. "Hermione, where are you?" He jumped up and searched the tower. She promised she wouldn't leave! Unable to find her, he fled to the hallways. "Hermione!" he yelled again. He rounded a corner, and smashed into his father.

"Dad, where is Hermione?" he asked, terrified.

"She's okay, for now," Lucius said.

"Where is she?"

"She's in the hospital wing."

Draco's face paled, moreso than normal.

"Son!" Lucius said loudly, grabbing him by the shoulders. "She's fine. She's okay, I promise. We know about the prophecy."

Draco got visibly upset and tried to break away from his father to go to her. Lucius held him firm. "Why didn't you tell your mother and me?"

Draco's eyes found his feet very amusing at the moment. Softly, "I was afraid if I actually said it, it would be true. I don't want to lose Hermione, or mum."

"You won't lose either. We're working on it. Come," he said, pulling Draco toward the hospital wing. "Who else knows of this?"

"I told Blaise," he said meekly.

"You told Blaise, but not us?" he asked, incredulous.

"I didn't really mean to tell him. So, how did you guys figure it out? I told Firenze not to say anything yet."

"Hermoine put two and two together, when I told her I hadn't seen you since you were in Divination with Firenze, when Trelawney came in."

"Oh."

They'd reached the hospital entrance. Draco reached for the door, but Lucius stopped him.

"Look, your mother's in there, too. You need to stay calm. We analyzed the prophecy, and we think it's Hermione that will fall ill." Draco gasped. "We're going to fight whatever it is. Medics are on the way from Spain, America, and Japan. They'll find it now, before it hurts her, and stop it. But you can't panic. Your mother's doing enough of that as it is."

"Okay," Draco nodded. "Can I go in now?"

Lucius held the door open for him. Hermione was sitting on a bed, talking quietly to Narcissa. They hushed when they saw the men enter.

"Baby," Draco said, rushing to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Shh," she said, holding him tightly. His head was over her shoulder, and he looked into his mother's eyes. Narcissa closed her eyes tightly and turned her head. He swore he saw a tear on her cheek. Hermione pushed him back, looking oddly calm. "Everything will be fine." The doors burst open. "Look, the doctors are here." The doctors hurried into the room, consulting with Firenze about the exact wording of the prophecy. The one from Japan looked up, toward Hermione.

"Draco," Hermione said, "I want you to wait outside with your father."

"I can't leave you alone!" he stammered.

"I'll stay here with her," Narcissa spoke up, trying to look cheery. "Go on, son. Go with your dad."

Draco hesitated, and Lucius gently pulled him up by his arm. "Come on," Lucius said evenly.

When they were in the hallway and safely out of earshot, Hermione turned to Narcissa, and a tear formed in the corner of her eye.

"Thank you, Hermione," Narcissa whispered. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"Of course, Narcissa. Anything you ask, I'll do."

"I know this is a very difficult thing I've asked of you. If you don't think you can do it-"

"No!" Hermione almost shouted. "I will do it. I have to. If they know it's really you who's sick, they'll-"

"-I know," she interrupted. "At least now, my little bit of time left with them won't be of them fretting over me. At least they will act normally. Hermione, I've written letters to the both of them, for you to give them after I'm gone. I-" she choked, "I don't know how to thank you for taking this on yourself. And for keeping my secret. You'll take care of them? Both of them? I need to know you'll be there, to help them after I'm gone. They act so big and strong, but they're both still little boys at heart, and haven't the slightest idea how to take care of themselves." She laughed solemnly. "The big, bad, mighty Death Eaters that they are, they love so completely and passionately, and with you there, I'll take some comfort in knowing you will, be there."

Hermione allowed a tear to fall, and nodded.

"They're going to be furious with you, you know," Narcissa said to her. "When they find out you lied to them. I know they'll reject you at first, but Hermione, see to it that they get the letters. They will understand, and forgive you, when they read them."

"Narcissa?" Hermione asked, barely above a whisper. "How are you so sure you're the one who's sick?"

"As I told you at the greenhouses, I've got some seer in my blood. I, too, had a vision."

As the doctors approached, she stood, standing next to Narcissa on the hospital bed, holding her hand.

"I'm the one who's sick," Narcissa whispered to them.


	22. 22

_A/N: Thanks to May for being my inspiration ;) and thanks to my wonderful incredible beta Robyn, without whom this chapter would be riddled with a mulltitude of typos LMAO. Thanks also to my honorary beta for this chapter, lauren. _

_Thanks to all you reviewers! Keep those reviews coming, they really mean a lot to me! Also, you have skittlebip/Robyn and Lauren to thank for the second half of this chap. I wanted to break it into two chaps, but they liked it this way, so here ya go!

* * *

_

It was hard for Hermione to lie to Draco. But she knew she'd do it, for Narcissa. It had only been three days, and currently Hermione and Narcissa were at a clinic in Spain. The healers had finally assessed what the condition was, and it didn't look very good. As of yet, no one had ever recovered from it. It didn't even have an official name yet, as it was so rare, so they were referring to it as 'it.'

Draco had begged to come along to the clinic with Hermione, but Narcissa put her foot down. "No, Draco," she'd said. "I'll be with her every moment, I promise you. I'll bring her back to you. You need to stay here and keep up with your Head duties, and keep the prefects in line. God knows Lucius did an awful job of selecting them, they're nothing but a bunch of party animals."

"But mum, how am I supposed to be away from Hermione for so long, when we don't know how much longer she'll even BE here?" Draco had exclaimed.

"Draco, listen to me. You have to be strong. You know how attached your father and I have become to Hermione, and you know that your father is in an uproar. You need to stay here to keep him grounded; focused. You also need to help him figure out what to do with the students during Herbology, while we are in Spain. There'll be plenty to keep him busy, and his mind preoccupied, but you'll have to make sure he actually does those things, okay?"

Draco had finally relented, and done as his mother instructed. Now Hermione was sitting in a hospital room in Spain, looking out the window at the drizzling rain as Narcissa restlessly slept. She knew when the truth came out, when Lucius and Draco found out Hermione had been lying, that it was really Narcissa that was sick, they'd be furious. But Narcissa had become a second mother to Hermione, well, her only mother, since she forgot she ever had parents of her own, and Hermione would do anything that Narcissa asked of her. Including lie to Draco.

"Hermione?" a weak voice croaked.

Hermione snapped out of her own little world, jumped out of the window sill and rushed to Narcissa's side, taking her hand in her own. "What is it?" Hermione whispered.

A faint smile traced Narcissa's lips, and then she said, "Dear, the potions they gave me for the testing process will be wearing off soon. I hate how they make me groggy. It's true, isn't it?" The smile disappeared.

"What's true?"

"That there's no cure."

Hermione turned her head, but whispered, "Yes."

Narcissa sighed, but it sounded rather strangled. She saw a tear slide down Hermione's cheek. Just then, the healer entered.

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy. How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?" she said, trying to sound snappy, but just sounded tired.

"I know, and I'm sorry," the healer said. "In about another hour, you'll feel like your normal self again. The sedative potions we had to administer for all the tests will be mostly out of your system by then. I think, if you're ready, you can go home in the morning. I've got several vials here for you to take as labelled. They'll help with your energy levels and immune system when you get to a higher stage, for a while, anyway."

"Thank you," Narcissa said, grasping Hermione's hand tighter. "Will anyone know? That I'm sick, that is?"

"No, not for quite some time. Your outward appearance will not change until stage four, and you're only at a very early stage one now. I also have a potion in here to help your mental well-being. It will fight off the depression and such. I recommend you start it immediately, as well as the others."

"And these potions will give me a better quality of life, or what's left of it?"

"Yes. I'll draw up your discharge scrolls, and you can go first thing in the morning."

"I'd rather go tonight, as soon as the drowsiness goes away," Narcissa boldy stated.

The healer looked at her for a moment, obviously wanting to object, but thought better of it. "Of course, Mrs. Malfoy. If you promise to stay at least another two hours. And you can expect me to come see you weekly for check-ups. Will you be going back to the Manor, or Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts, for now."

When the healer left, Hermione didn't know what to say. But what Narcissa said next surprised her.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," her voice losing its raspiness as the sedatives wore off further.

"You've nothing to be sorry for!" she exclaimed.

"I should have never put you on The Potion. Now I'll never live to see my grandchildren!" Narcissa began to cry.

"But Draco and I, we, um, don't really want them anyway, so we'd have started The Potion regardless of you giving it to me. In fact, the day you gave it to me, Draco asked me to start taking it."

Narcissa nodded. Then, "When we get back, we're telling them the truth."

"No!" gasped Hermione. "No, we can't do that! They'll be furious! They'll hate us both! They'll-"

"Get over it." She paused, holding up a hand for Hermione to be quiet. "They will. I'll force them to see things my way. They won't stay mad long. They never do," Narcissa smiled. "My boys can't stay upset with me for long. And they won't stay upset with you, either. But when I'm gone-"

"Stop talking like that! You heard the healer, you're just at the beginning of stage one! You won't start feeling sicker until stage four, and from what we've seen of this disease so far, you may very well make it to stage 12 before you're...." She trailed off, not wanting to say 'bedridden.'

Narcissa nodded. She thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, but even still, I am telling them the truth. Could you please send an owl ahead, and have them meet us at Hogsmeade with the carriage at around 8?"

"Of course," Hermione began scribbling out a note on parchment. "But that's in about five hours. Do you think the sleepiness will be gone by then, enough to apparate?"

"I think so," Narcissa said, reaching for a brush, and running it through her silky blonde hair. "I'm feeling much more alert now, and Healer Simmons did say I can go in two hours. I'd like to spend a bit of time with you in Hogsmeade, before my boys show up. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, I think it'd be quite nice to have a girls day. How about we spend some of Lucius' not-so-hard-earned money?" she said, a gleam in her eyes.

"Sounds perfect," Narcissa smiled.

* * *

They bought lots of things, Hermione levitating the parcels to float behind them as they walked the streets of Hogsmeade. Passing the jewelry store, Hermione's eye was drawn to the window where she'd seen the opal necklace that day she'd been here with Draco and Justin. It was gone now.

Narcissa noticed Hermione's hesitation at the shop, so she went in, and Hermione followed reluctantly. Narcissa bought a couple pieces she thought Lucius might like, and then they went for a drink at the Three Broomsticks.

"This is a nice little place," Narcissa noted.

"Yes, I've always liked it here."

They sipped their beer in silence, and when they were done, they headed to the bookshop. They bought every book they could find on 'it,' and Narcissa indulged in a cheesy romance novel. Then they headed to a dress shop, where they proceeded to buy practically a whole new wardrobe for Narcissa, and she even talked Hermione into a couple new robes and three pair of boots.

As they strolled through the hat section, Hermione asked, "How did you and Lucius meet?"

Narcissa fingered a feather-plumed chapeau and smiled. "We always knew each other. But we didn't fall in love until sixth year. I believe it happened during a Quidditch match."

"Oh, how sweet! Were you cheering him on in the stands?"

Narcissa snorted. "More like the other way around!"

Hermione gasped, then collapsed on the floor in giggles. As she clutched her stomach, she said, "You played Quidditch, and Lucius didn't? I thought every guy wanted to play!"

"He tried!" Narcissa laughed, sitting on a bench beside Hermione on the floor. "He was the worst player Slytherin had ever seen! Worse than that stupid Weasel King. Couldn't block a goalpost with a shield!"

Hermione couldn't stop laughing now, and tried several times to pull herself up on the bench next to the blonde. Finally she succeeded, and Narcissa continued. "He was offered the position of water boy, but he said he had too much self-respect for that."

"Oh my God, Lucius was a dork????"

"The biggest," Narcissa smiled, and looked at a spot in the distance. "He likes to lead everyone to believe he was always the hard-ass he is today. He's so lucky that most of the Death Eaters weren't in school the same time as him. They'd have no respect for him now."

"Ha ha ha! The waterboy!" Hermione fell into another fit of giggles. When she finally calmed down, "How on earth did you fall for the waterboy?"

Narcissa playfully smacked her on the arm. "He turned it down! Besides, if he'd been the waterboy, he might not have noticed my incredible game-winning capture of the snitch."

"You were the seeker?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't Draco have any of your talent in second year when Lucius bought his way onto the team?" Hermione gasped, realizing what she'd said. "I'm sorry!"

Narcissa chuckled. "That poor boy has no natural seeking abilities. But look how good he is now. He worked for it himself. He trained himself to be a good seeker. I think that's more admirable than if he'd been born with the talent."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. At least _HE_ didn't have to be the waterboy!" More laughter. When Hermione regained her composure, she asked, "So, he saw you catch the snitch and fell in love with you?"

"Pretty much. But just look at me; how could he have _NOT _fallen for me?" she giggled. "He followed me around like a little puppy dog, begging me to go with him on a Hogsmeade weekend. Finally, I said yes just go get him to shut up. Of course, he flaunted his father's money, taking me to a nice restaurant, renting a little rowboat on the lake..." she trailed off. Then, "I fell in love with him as the sun went down. The rest is history."

Hermione smiled, imagining a dorky Lucius fawning over a gorgeous, younger Narcissa. They'd finally abandoned the bench, and were looking at winter items.

"Oh, look at this!" Hermione exclaimed, holding up a green and silver scarf. "Slytherin Quidditch, it says. Oh, you should get this, Narcissa. Draco would get a kick out of seeing you wear it to one of his matches."

"Tsk, tsk. As a teacher, and head of Ravenclaw, that wouldn't be very fair, now, would it? But we'll get it for you."

"I'm a Griffyndor!" Hermione laughed.

"So? You can support your boyfriend, even if I can't support my son," Narcissa smiled, and added the scarf to the pile of things they were buying. Exiting the store, they heard the chiming of the bell tower clock.

"Eight o'clock!" Narcissa said cheerfully, as the Hogwarts carriage pulled up. Draco and Lucius hopped out, each running up to Hermione. Draco grabbed her up in a tight hug, then pulled back.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you? I didn't mean to squeeze so tight!" Draco looked agonized at the thought of hurting Hermione.

"Um, no, I'm fine," Hermione said nervously, looking at Narcissa.

"Lucius," Narcissa spoke up. "What are you waiting for? Load up our packages, and help us into the carriage like a gentleman!" Lucius and Draco both scurried for the bags.

Inside the carriage, the ladies could tell there were a million questions the men wanted to ask, but didn't. Finally, Narcissa spoke up. "Lucius, Draco. There's news from the healers in Spain." They fell silent immediately. "As it turns out, the disease I have -"

She was cut off by Lucius. "You...have?" He looked utterly confused.

Hermione dropped her head, finding her feet very interesting.

"Yes," Narcissa continued. "I have. It's me, not Hermione. Now before you go getting upset with us for saying she was the one sick, hear me out. I was scared. I knew how you two would react, and I didn't want to be treated like I'd break. So I asked Hermione to say that she was the sick one, until I could come to terms with my illness. She did it so that I could figure everything out, without the two of you hovering over me. Really, it was a great thing she did. With your attention on Hermione, I was able to get my thoughts straight and decide my own course of action."

"But why would Hermione lie to me?" Draco said, obviously upset over his lover's lie, but moreso by the news that his mother was ill.

"Draco," she said, holding his hands in her lap, "I did it because your mum asked me to. I'd do anything for her- for all of you. I, um, thought she deserved a few days of independence, without you guys fussing over her. Like I know you want to do, now."

As the reality of the spoken words sank in, Draco grew visibly more upset, as did Lucius. It seemed that Lucius had become speechless. Draco rose in the moving carriage and sat next to his mother on the opposite bench. Hermione's heart broke as she witnessed what was next.

"Mum?" Draco asked softly, his lower lip quivering. Hermione noted that he once again looked like a lost little boy. "Are you going to die?"

Narcissa grabbed him into a tight hug. "Not today," she whispered. Hermione could see Draco trying to stop his tears from falling, but one slipped out.

Lucius rose from his seat on the crowded bench and moved next to Hermione. He seemed shell-shocked. Hermione lovingly placed a hand on his knee. He turned away, and started out the window.

"What's going to happen to you?" Draco asked.

"Well, thankfully Trelawney made the prophecy early. I've got loads of time left." Draco lifted his head from his mother's shoulder and looked at her.

"How much?"

"We're not really sure. It's a very rare disease-" she stopped. She looked over at Hermione. "Tell them," she mouthed.

"It, um, doesn't even have a name, technically," Hermione squirmed, having been put on the spot. "But right now, she's in a very early stage one. They don't really know how fast it will progress, as it's been different for each person that's had it. The healers seem to think Narcissa will be with us for quite some time still. When she hits stage four, her appearance might start to reflect her sickness. She may start looking tired and run down. But the healer gave her a multitude of potions to help with energy levels and such, and she can maintain her current lifestyle and activities until-" she stopped for a moment, trying not to get choked up, -"around stage 12 or 14. Then most likely, she'll need to stay in bed."

They were drawing up to Hogwarts now. The carriage stopped at the front doors. No one moved.

"Go get our stuff, Draco. We'll head back to the manor at once," Lucius stated.

"Don't, Draco!" Narcissa said forcefully. Draco froze as his hand was halfway to the door handle. "We're staying here. Voldemort made you Head of Education for a reason, Lucius, and you'll not let him down. And I _WANT_ to stay here. I want to do my part in serving the Dark Lord, and I want to continue teaching these children the necessary skills in becoming a Death Eater. I will not be returning to Malfoy Manor until the school year is over. Now get out of my way." She pushed Lucius aside, and stepped out of the carriage. She stalked into the castle, leaving three speechless people behind.

Finally, Draco spoke. "I'm going in." Silently, the other two followed. Some house elves scurried out to retrieve the packages. Inside the foyer, Lucius headed toward his own quarters, and Draco and Hermione went towards theirs. As they trudged up the stairs to their tower, Hermione slid her hand into Draco's. He gently squeezed her fingers, but did not speak. They entered their rooms and Draco lit a fire, and sat on the sofa in front of it. For several minutes, he just watched the flames flicker. He stretched out on the couch, and Hermione laid down next to him, as his arms wrapped around her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, half-frightened.

He shook his head slightly. "I don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Don't know."

A small thump was heard, and Hermione rose a little to see what it was. "Just the house elves bringing up the things your mum bought for me. She thought it was a good idea to spend Lucius' money."

Draco almost smiled at that. He pulled her closer, and began mindlessly twirling a strand of her curly hair. The house elf, quiet as could be, covered them with the quilt that was draped over a chair and then left.

"I'm sorry I lied to you. I didn't want to, but I couldn't tell your mum no," Hermione whispered.

Draco kissed her temple and said, "It's okay. I understand."

"Aren't you mad?"

"Yes, I am mad, but what's done is done. We can't change anything. Can't change what's going to happen. Can't stop her from...dying."

Hermione rolled over so she was facing him. "Baby, she's got a lot of time left, and she won't even feel pain from it till stage ten or so. And then we'll make her some potions. We'll take good care of her, and Healer Simmons from Spain, well, he's actually from America, but lives in Spain-"

"Hermione, quit rambling."

"Oh, sorry. Well, he's coming here once a week for check-ups and such."

Hermione's head was resting on Draco's chest. He grew quiet again, but she could feel him playing with her hair. She'd almost fallen asleep, as she'd not slept at all in Spain, when, "Hermione," Draco whispered, "How long would you have gone on, letting me think you were sick?"

"As long as Narcissa would have needed me to." She felt him nod.

"I thought my world was ending when you were the sick one. For a second, when Mum said it was her, I felt a little bit relieved, that it wasn't you. Then I just felt guilty for feeling that. When-" he drew in a ragged breath, "-she hugged me, in the carriage, for a moment I thought everything would be okay. That I'd wake up and it would have all been a dream. But it won't be okay, will it? It'll never be okay. I dont want my mum to die, Hermione. She's been there my whole life."

"And she'll be there for a long time to come. Don't think about the bad stuff, baby, just think about the good."

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Draco and Hermione were sitting at a table with Lav, Justin and Blaise.

"So, where were you, Herm?" Lav asked, stuffing her face with pancakes. "You were gone for three days! You missed the most boring lecture series Binns has ever given! Don't worry, I made someone take notes for you."

"Narcissa and I were in Spain," Hermione said. Draco notably held his breath. Narcissa didn't want anyone at Hogwarts to know. Firenze had been told to keep it quiet, and luckily, Trelawney didn't remember anything. Their tight-knit group of Death Eaters would die before breaking Lucius' trust in the matter. "We went on a shopping spree. Spent lots of Lucius' moldy old money," she smiled at Draco, and he exhaled.

"Ooh, what did you buy? Anything good?"

"Books, clothes, a scarf to wear to the Quidditch games. Speaking of, Draco, did you talk to Hooch about pre-try outs and that other thing??"

"Yeah, it's all covered. Blaise, um, I got a lot going on this year. I'm turning over captainship to you."

"Me?" Blaise asked, raising one eyebrow. "I don't want to do all that shit! Yelling at everyone, and making schedules, and fighting the other teams for practice time. Fuck that shit, dude, it's all you." He went back to his breakfast.

"Blaise," Draco began, "I _SAID_ I have too much going on. You _ARE_ the captain. End of discussion."

"Well fuck!" Blaise said, throwing down his cinnamon roll. He started to stand up, but Hermione grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back down.

"Think of it," she smiled, "the captains always get more girls."

"He's got May," Justin said.

"Yeah, for the moment!" Lav snorted.

Blaise glared at her. Then smiled. "Nah, she's last moment. Wanted a commitment or some shit." He rolled his eyes. "Like I'd ever commit to anything other than firewhiskey, Quidditch and food."

"See?" Hermione said, "You just said you're committed to Quidditch. So it's all settled then," she smiled, and grabbed a roll, exremely happy it wasn't steak and eggs for breakfast. "Guys, it's Friday! Let's have another get together tonight! We'll have it in the Heads room this time. I got your favorite when I was in Hogsmeade yesterday, Blaise. A nice big bottle of firewhiskey!"

"I'm in," Blaise said, smiling crookedly.

"Hermione! You got firewhiskey, after last time?" Lav said.

"Don't worry, I got beers and stuff for pina coladas for us! Why don't you all stop by around ten?"

"Cool," said Justin. "Want me to invite Ty?"

"If you want," Draco said. "But please don't invite May again! She's such a light-weight!"

"May who? I got my eye on someone else already," Blaise smirked.

* * *

Classes that day seemed to drag on forever. During her break, Hermione went to the greenhouses to help Narcissa with paperwork. Narcissa assured Hermione that Lucius wasn't mad about the lie anymore, and asked her not to mention to Draco (or anyone else for that matter!) that Lucius was such a big dork in his school years. "It'd be like finding out his idol was a squib!"

After class with her favorite teacher, Professor Bronwyn, Hermione and Lav skipped dinner and went to the Heads tower to get stuff ready for the party.

"It doesn't start for like, three hours!" Lav laughed.

"Yeah, but I want to conjure up some more comfy furniture, make sure the fire is going, that kind of stuff. Did you tell the guys we're having tons of food? I thought I saw Blaise walk into the Great Hall."

"Yeah, but you know guys. They'll eat eight meals a day if you let them. What _ARE_ we having, anyway?"

"Thought we could go with good old fashioned pizza and such. I got soda, too, if we end up going overboard on the pina coladas. Or to add rum to. Hey, you wanna stay the night here?"

"Ew! And listen to you and Draco get it on? No thanks!"

Hermione laughed. "We don't 'get it on' every night! Come on, it'll be fun! Me, Draco, you, Justin, Blaise and whoever he brings, and Ty-"

"Ty's not coming. Something about, er, well, I don't remember why. He's just not coming."

"Oh, well then. It'll just be us five, plus Blaise's fille du jour. Come on, Lavy, have a slumber party with us! I'll even conjure up a bed, so you won't have to sleep on the floor!"

"Oh, alright!" Lav rolled her eyes. "But only if everyone else stays, too! Wait, we aren't playing Truth or Dare again, are we?"

* * *

Lav had left to get some of her stuff. Hermione was arranging the food on the table with magic. She scattered out bowls of munchies around the room, and got out several decks of wizarding cards. She set about lots of candles and squooshy-cooshy chairs so everyone would be comfortable. She heard the portrait open, and knew it must be Draco, as the others didn't have the password. He snuck up behind her and snaked an arm around her waist. She smiled, but didn't turn around. She felt him nuzzle her neck. She turned around, and he caught her up in a breath-taking kiss. When he pulled back, she said, "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

"I talked to my mum." He kissed her forehead. "She told me you guys talked a lot during those three days, and said you made her feel better about everything. And besides, how can I _NOT_ love the person who was willing to sacrifice her relationship with her incredibly sexy boyfriend, for the sake of my mum?" He smiled at her.

She smiled back. "Did she tell you what we talked about at the dress shop?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "No....what?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nothing. Just about where you got your passion for Quidditch."

"And what about my passion for other things, hmm?" he asked slyly. He leaned in for another kiss, but was interrupted by a commotion in the hallway. They rushed to the doorway and opened the portrait.

Lav was in Justin's face, screaming at him. "If you think I'm just going to stand by, idly waiting for you to make a damn move, when there are _PLENTY_ of guys in this school who would avada someone to get me, then you're sadly mistaken!"

"Lav, all I said was I didn't think we were ready for sex yet!"

"Maybe you're not, but I sure as hell am! And have been since I lost my virginity two years ago!"

Hermione and Draco stood still, too shocked to speak up.

"You told me you were a virgin, too!" Justin yelled.

"Because the though of breaking a virgin is supposed to make a guy WANT her, you dumbass! But no-o-o, you want to 'wait!' Fuck waiting!"

"Fuck _YOU_!" Justin said at the top of his voice. "If I'd have known you were such a little slut, I'd have stayed away from you from the beginning! So, what, have you fucked every guy in school?" he said, throwing his arms up.

Lav shoved him in the chest. "So what if I have? I'm no longer any of your concern, you prim little prefect!"

Just then, Blaise sauntered up, his cloak bulging with stashed goodies for the party. "What's the haps, peeps?"

"Arrgh!" Lav shouted, pushing past him and entering the Head room.

"Fuck!" Justin exclaimed, storming off, bumping Blaise's shoulder in the process. A baggie and a bottle fell out of his coat and hit the floor. Blaise quickly scooped them up, looked around for teachers, and finding none, scurried into the Heads room after Lavendar.

"I'm gonna go talk to Lav," Hermione said.

"I'm gonna find Justin. See you in a bit. Don't start the party without me," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Hermione said, and went into her room. She didn't really know what to expect, but it wasn't this. Lav was flipping through the magical equivilent of cds, and Blaise had thrown off his robes, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. He was arranging the liquor on a table, and stuffed the baggie deep into his pocket.

"Where's Draco?" he looked up.

"He went after Justin. Why is it so calm in here? Lav, after that explosion, why aren't you riled up?"

"Oh, that," Lav said, flipping her ponytail over a shoulder. "It was scripted. On my part anyways." She rolled her eyes and popped in a disc. Music blared, and she spoke up, "He's a lousy kisser, and all he ever talks about is his new family and Quidditch. The kid has no identity of his own!"

"Well what do you expect?" Hermione shouted over the music. "He got thrown into a whole new life. Everything he ever knew turned out to be a lie. He's searching for who he really is."

"So you really are a slut, right?" Blaise asked, flopping down on the couch and putting his feet on the table.

"Psssh. No! I _AM_ still a virgin, thank you very much," Lav replied.

"Not for long," Hermione thought she heard Blaise mumble.

Draco re-entered. "Couldn't find him. Not wasting anymore time looking, either. What the hell is that noise?"

"It's music, dumbass!" Lav laughed.

"It sucks. Put on some Mangled Magic," Draco said, mentioning his favorite band.

"No! I like the Full Moons!"

"They're a bunch of sissy boys that lip sync! Turn them off," Draco demanded.

"Herm?" Lav plead.

"I don't care _WHAT_ you put on, just take off the damn 'Moons'!" laughed Hermione.

Lav pretended to pout. She immediately cheered up as Blaise handed her a mixed drink. Hermione turned the music down a notch, and everyone got comfy on the sofas around the table. Blaise handed Hermione a mixed drink, too and a firewhiskey straight up to Draco. They all drank in silence for a minute, until Lav spoke up.

"Is this a party or what? Dance with me, Blaise!"

"I don't dance."

"Do it anyway!" Lav yanked him up, almost spilling his whiskey, and began grinding him.

"You call this dancing? This is fuckin' foreplay!" Blaise yelled.

Hermione laughed, almost squirting her drink through her nose.

"Mmm, is that your wand in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?" Lav asked seductively, running a fingertip up his chest.

Blaise jumped back away from her. "Fuck no, it ain't no wand! My wand is way bigger than this, and harder!" He yanked the baggie and a bowl out of his pocket. "Got us some weed." Blaise sat back down on the floor, cross-legged at the coffee table. He emptied the baggie and began packing the pipe. He pulled his wand out from the other pocket. "Incendio." He put the pipe to his lips, and the end of his wand to the bowl. As he inhaled deeply, Hermione tried to describe the smell of the smoke in her head. 'It's kind of like sweet cloves, and gym socks.' Blaise held his breath and passed it to Draco. He took a hit, then another, and handed it to Hermione. Hermione eyed it for a moment. She'd never gotten high before. Not that she was too much of a goody-goody, well, yeah, she _was_, but the opportunity had never risen before. Hermione took the device from her boyfriend's outstretched hand, and put it to her lips. She sucked gently.

"You gotta hit it harder than that," Blaise explained. "You never had it before?"

Hermione looked at him and shook her head, then sucked harder. 'Oh shit, don't cough, don't cough!' Hermione thought to herself. She coughed. Lav cracked up. Maybe Lav had a bit of a contact buzz already. Lav reached out and took the pipe. She inhaled, and coughed, too. Hermione's turn to crack up.

"Girls," Blaise rolled his eyes. After instructing the girls how to properly inhale, he demonstrated. "See?" he asked. "Now watch Drake."

They did, and when it was Hermione's turn again, she was proud of herself. Having never had the stuff before, she was quite sure she was already feeling the effects. She passed to Lav. When it was empty, Blaise put it away. "For later," he smirked. Blaise stretched out the couch he was sharing with Lav, putting his feet on her lap. She eyed his shoes, as if she wanted to tell them to get the hell off her lap, but instead she just stared at them. "Aaah," Blaise sighed. "Hand me that glass of whiskey, Lav," he said.

She sat there silently. "Well?" he asked when she didn't move.

"I told you to get it your damn self!" she said.

Everyone burst out laughing. "No you didn't!" Hermione giggled. "You didn't say anything! You just stared at his feet!"

"Man, you got some big feet, Zabini," Lav stated.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Blaise exclaimed, getting up to get the glass for himself. He handed Lav's to her. "Take a few sips. It'll help." So she did. She looked over at the other couch, where Draco and Hermione's hands were entwined. Blaise was mumbling something about big feet and big wands.

"You guys gonna have a baby or what? You fuck like bunnies," she said boldly.

"What?" Draco's eyebrows shot up. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Lav burst into a mad fit of giggles. "I have no idea!" Then she paused. "What?" she asked, confused.

Blaise got up and had another drink. The drug didn't seem to be affecting him as much as the girls. Probably because he and Draco were used to the substance. He tossed a beer at Draco, who caught it one-handedly. "Let's play some cards," Blaise said as he cracked open the bottle, sitting on the floor at the table. Everyone moved from the furniture to the rugs. Blaise shuffled and Draco started the rotation.

"So when's Vold comin' to the school?" Blaise asked Draco.

"Probably after winter break," he replied.

"Y'all stayin' for breaks?" Blaise questioned.

"We are," Hermione said. "You, Lav?"

"Yeah," she said, scrunching her eyes at her cards. "Mum's coming up for them. I'm glad to have my own rooms. They gross me out with all their kissing and stuff."

"Ew!" Draco said. "Parents kissing is nasty. You'd think they'd have the decency to do it in private!"

"Yeah!" Hermione chirped up. "Not in the Great Hall!" Her eyes widened and she looked at Draco.

"What's wrong with shagging in the Great Hall?" Blaise asked, not picking up on Hermione's comment. "I did it what that, uh, whoever she was."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Dude, what the fuck game are you playing? You don't discard the lord!"

"What? I didn't discard the lord!" Blaise said. Then he looked at the pile on the table. "Fuck, man! I can't concentrate with Lav leaning on me like this! Get up, woman!" He lightly pushed her back up. "Don't tell me you're gonna pass out already?"

"No, I was trying to see what cards you had in your hand, thank you very much."

"That's cheating."

"It's not cheating if you don't know what the fuck game you're even playing!" Lav exclaimed, throwing down all her cards.

Hermione gathered up everyone's cards and put a rubber band around them, and placed them back in the center of the table. She pulled out her wand and tapped the edge, and the table disappeared, leaving the four friends facing each other over a rug.

"Spin the bottle?" Lav asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, please!" Blaise rolled his eyes. "If you wanna kiss me, just fuckin' do it." He stretched out his long legs in front of him as everyone replenished their drinks.

"As if you're the only one I want to kiss," Lav scoffed, grabbing a handful of Hawaiin m&m's. "Mmm. Coconut and pineapple."

"Oh?" Draco asked. "Who _DO_ you want to kiss?"

"Everyone!" Lav laughed. "I'm just kidding Are we just gonna sit around talking all night?"

"Probably," Hermione said.

"Well then let's play another round of truth or dare!" Lav squealed. She proceeded to grab a pizza box and began eating nearly the whole thing.

"Again? There aren't enough people!" Hermione said.

"Sure there are! We'll just set a couple ground rules. Like, staying in the common room and not involving outside people. Oooh, hold on!" Lav leapt up, and came back a moment later carrying a vial filled with bluish fluid.

"Veritiserum?" Draco asked.

"Yeah! It will make it more fun!" Lav said. "Oh, and whatever we say or do, will stay between the four of us, deal?"

Blaise sighed. "Fine. I'm in." He pulled out his wand and murmured a spell. "And if someone doesn't do their dare, they'll break out in boils. Just to make it more fun," he smirked.

"Good!" Lav smiled. "Hermione, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Are you guys gonna have a baby?"

Hermione snorted. "Do you think we're fucking stupid? No!"

"Wait! I forgot to give you guys the serum!" She put a few drops in each person's cup, and they sipped. "Okay, now, answer again, Herm."

"I said 'no,'" Hermione stated. "Blaise, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Boring!" Lav chirped.

"Shut up!" Blaise.

Hermione said, "How many girls have you been with, sexually?"

"You mean, actual intercourse, or other stuff, too?"

"Intercourse."

"Six."

"Only six?" Lav said. "I thought it would have been much more than that!"

"Yeah, well, she did say intercourse," Blaise smirked. "Drake, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Dare ya to smoke a whole bowl alone."

"Done." Blaise pulled it out again, packed it, and handed it to Draco. Who proceeded to smoke it all. Then packed it up again and handed it around the circle.

"My turn! Draco, ask me!" Lav said after exhaling.

"No," Draco shook his head. "Let Blaise ask you."

"Dare!" Lav said, turning to Blaise. "No, no, wait, truth!"

"Can't change your mind!"

"Yes I can!"

"Fine, but I get to ask you two questions, then," Blaise said.

"Okay..." Lav said carefully.

"Are you really a virgin?"

Lav tried to lie, but the serum wouldn't let her. "N-no," she said.

"No shit?" Blaise asked. "Who? Dammit, I didn't want that to be the next question!"

"Too late, you asked! It was Terry Boot, last year. Only once, though. Wasn't very good."

"Whose turn is it now?" Hermione asked.

"I have no idea," Draco said. "I'll ask you. Truth or dare?"

"Hmm..." Hermione smiled. "Dare!"

Draco sneered. "Dare you to kiss Lav."

"Dammit, why am I always the one getting kissed?" Lav exclaimed.

"_YOU_ wanted to play Spin the Bottle!" Blaise yelled accusingly, taking the bowl.

"Wait a minute! You want your _girlfriend_ to kiss me?" Lav said to Draco.

"Yeah," Draco continued to sneer.

"Tongues?" Lav asked, almost seeming happy.

"Duh," Draco said. Lavendar scooted closer to Hermione. She moved her head close to her friend's, and then burst out giggling. "I can't do this!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Hermione said, imitating Blaise from earlier. She grabbed Lav by the back of the head and pulled her close. Hermione roughly put her lips on Lav's, and thrust her tongue into the girl's mouth. Lav found herself melting into the kiss.

When Hermione ended it, Lav just said, "Wow. Wow. No wonder you guys are always up here alone!" She sat back down.

"Dude, I dare you to do that again!" Blaise said.

Lav giggled. "I think it might be Draco's turn. Truth or dare?"

"I don't think it's my turn."

"Pick anyway, who's keeping track?"

"Um, dare."

"Okay," Lav stole Draco's famous sneer. "I dare you to kiss Blaise!"

"What?" Draco.

"You're fuckin' crazy, girl!" Blaise.

"You hafta do it! With tongues, too! Paybacks are a bitch, eh Draco?" Lav smiled.

Draco and Blaise simultaneously rolled their eyes. "Fine," Draco huffed, passing the pipe to Hermione, who inhaled greedily this time. He and Blaise stood. The girls quickly stood too, to get a better view. Draco marched up to Blaise and wanting to get it overwith, leaned his mouth up towards Blaise's. Blaise's head leaned down, and the girls found themselves leaning in closer, for a better look, of course.

"Close your eyes, prick. This is weird enough," Blaise said. They both closed their eyes and finally their lips met. Lav grabbed Hermione's sleeve and clenched it. Hermione mindlessly passed Lav the bowl. When Draco's tongue flickered out and into Blaise's mouth, the girls held their breath. Blaise's head tilted to the side a bit, and his tongue became visible, too. Draco's hands were on Blaise's shoulders, purely for balance, of course. The kiss only lasted about ten seconds, but time seemed to stand still for Hermione and Lav. When the boys pulled apart and quickly retreated from one another, Lav finally let go of Hermione's shirt.

Draco and Blaise were both chugging their alcohol. Quietly, Lav and Hermione plopped to the ground. "Herm?"

"Hmm?"

"Did that turn you on?" Deep inhale from the pipe. Pass it.

"Fuck yeah." Inhale.

"OOOOh, No, no no no!" Blaise yelled. "There will be **NO** more of this same-sex kissing shit! No!"

"But, but, but..." Lav whined. "It was so... _SEXY_!"

"Yeah," Hermione said, still fazed. "I thought it would gross me out, that I wouldn't be able to wait for it to end, but I feel all tingly inside. It was hot, baby," she said, turning to Draco, running a hand up his arm. "You liked it when I kissed Lavendar, so why can't we like it when you kiss Blaise?"

"It's just different!" Blaise yelled, starting to refill his glass, then deciding to drink straight from the bottle.

"No fuckin' way, dude. It was hot. On fire. Do it again?" Lav plead.

"The sad part is," Draco said to Blaise, "they really mean it, or they wouldn't say it. Veritiserum."

"Bloody hell!" Blaise said. "We're _NOT_ doing it again! Give me my damn bowl back!" Lav thrust it at him and he angrily stashed it away.

"Please?" Hermione said this time.

"Hermione!" Draco said, shocked. "What are you getting at???"

Hermione bit her lower lip. "It turned me on." She fed him a coconut m&m, then leaned in to taste the chocolate on his lips.

'I didn't enjoy it, baby' Draco sent to her.

'But it was so hot!' Hermione sent back, nibbing his lip.

'It was gross,' kissing her cheek. 'Honestly, I didn't like seeing you kiss Lav, so will you please let it go?'

'Okay, fine then,' she pulled back from him, returning to her own seat and pouted for a moment. Until Blaise slid a beer over to her. Which she quickly downed.

Blaise dug through the candy dish, picking out all the coconut m&m's, sucking the coating off before letting the chocolate melt on his tongue. Lav was watching him silently from across the room. Then, "Truth or dare?" she asked him.

"Dare."

Lav took two coconut m&m's from his hand. She leaned back against the couch and laid them on her body. "I dare you to eat these. Without using your hands." One was on her navel, which was exposed from her baby doll t-shirt. The other she placed in the crook of her cleavage. Blaise grinned, and moved over her body. He leaned close to her torso, and she shivered at feeling his breath on her bare skin. He kept his head down but looked up into Lav's eyes as his tongue quickly flicked out and scooped up the candy from her belly button. Lav's body visibly clenched under him as he moved up to get the other morsel. He gently nipped it off her cotton top and held the candy between his teeth. He came face-to-face with her and leaned down, allowing her to take the candy from his mouth with hers. As soon as she did, he quickly pulled back, and resumed sitting across the rug from her. He picked up his beer bottle and took a long sip, keeping his eyes on hers.

Draco smirked. 'Someone's getting laid tonight,' he sent to Hermione.

'Make that several someones,' she replied.

He looked over at her and sneered.

"Body shots!" Lav jumped up. Grabbing her wand, she conjured lemon wedges and a salt shaker. "We don't have tequilla. Do you think it will work with this stuff we put in our mixed drinks?"

Blaise flicked his wand, and a bottle of tequilla appeared. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

"Herm," Lav said, "I'm gonna take one off you, first!" She poured a shot.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I forget the order to do it, so I want to practice on you." She reached for Hermione's leg, which was stretched out over the rug. Hermione looked at her with a mix of curiosity and fear. Lav leaned down and licked her leg. Then she sprinkled salt on the moistend area. After licking it off, she sucked on a lemon wedge and pounded back the shot of tequilla. "See? Wasn't that fun?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, wiping off her wet leg. "Tons."

"The lickee goes next!" Lav giggled.

"Fine," Hermione huffed. Sometimes she wondered why she was even friends with Lav. Oh yeah, because she was her only girl friend her own age. She looked toward Draco.

"I gotta go to the bathroom, use Blaise for a canvas," Draco said, standing up.

"I'm not licking your leg," Hermione said to him.

Blaise laughed. "Here," he extended his forearm, wrist up to her. She scooted a bit closer, then followed the same steps Lav had demonstrated. Only she saved the lemon for last

"Argh, that was awful! This is really no fun, Lav!"

"And I ain't lickin' Drake!" Blaise said, opening another bottle of beer.

"You can lick me," Lav said huskily.

Draco came back into the room, and switched the cd, which had been on repeat at least three times. This music was harder and better than Mangled Magic. He sat on the couch behind Hermione, who snuggled in between his feet on the floor. Draco leaned his head back on the couch, listening to the music, twirling her hair. Blaise and Lav were exchanging looks, but Hermione wasn't quite sure looks of what. Hermione started babbling about nothing in particular, then her stomach growled.

"Pizza?" Lav asked, reaching for the box. "It's empty! Where did it all go?"

"You ate it!" snorted Blaise.

"The whole thing?" Lav asked, shocked. "I'm going to get so fat!"

"Well I'm still hungry! Draco, floo the kitchens, tell the elves I want something to eat!"

"Yeah, I'm hungry, too," Blaise whined. "And there's only pineapple m&m's left, and peanuts. I'm allergic. Tell the elves I want some pot roast."

Lav giggled, "Pot roast! To go with your pot?"

"We smoked all the pot," he replied.

Draco levitated some floo powder and tossed it in the fire. "Kitchens!" he yelled from his spot on the couch. A house elf quickly poked it's head through the fire. "Send us up some pot roast, and whatever other food is there."

"Yessir."

Within minutes, there was a lavish feast in front of them. Hermione re-conjured the coffee table and laid out the food. Everyone ate until they were full, talking through mouthfuls of food. Hermione had the sense to pour out water for everyone, and when the table was bare again, Lav had another brainstorm. "Let's go swimming in your tub! It's bigger than ours, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but you can't swim right after you eat, dumbass!" Draco said.

"Oh yeah. Let's play truth or dare!"

"We already did that!" Blaise grumbled. "I swear, woman, you are about as bright as a burnt out lantern!"

"You're one to talk about burnt out!" she scoffed.

'Baby?' Hermione sent to Draco.

'Yeah?'

'Do you think they fight like they're married?'

"Yeah," he said aloud.

"See?" Lav shouted. "Draco agrees with me!"

"No I don't!" he recovered. "I was talking to Hermione!"

"She didn't say anything!"

"So?"

"What?" Lav asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Blaise spoke up. "You make no sense!"

Draco turned around and looked at Hermione. "Yeah," he said again.

* * *

_REVIEW!!!! please :) so I'll write faster!_


	23. 23

It had been about three weeks since the party. Hermione wasn't quite sure, but she thought Lav and Blaise were dating. She shook her head. It wouldn't last; it never did when it came to Blaise. But, maybe Justin would be there to pick up the pieces of Lav's broken heart.

Hermione was on her way to the prefects/heads meeting. They had made this meeting at a different time and date than usual, as every one of the guys played Quidditch. It was getting harder to work around their schedule, but Hermione didn't mind picking up more slack. But what with classes, duties, and checking in on Narcissa every chance she got, there just wasn't much time for anything else. She'd been so exhausted lately, and so was Draco. They'd been training very hard for Quidditch. The Slytherin team still rocked, but almost everyone on the other teams were new members, and surprisingly good. Justin, it turned out, was a great keeper.

She opened the door to the meeting room, and was roughly shoved to the ground.

"Rufus, what the fuck are you doing in here?" she grunted, shoving the huge tri-colored dog off her. She stood up and straightened out her clothes. "God, why did I ever tell Justin he could bring his dog? Get off me, you filthy beast!" Rufus looked hurt, but immediately his ears perked when he heard someone else approaching.

Lav opened the door, and it was her turn to get pounced. She laughed and patted Rufus' ears as he licked her face. "Hey, Rufey. Miss me, huh?"

"Ew," Hermione said, disgusted. "You actually like that hairball?" She sat her notes down on a table.

"He's so sweet and lovable," Lav smiled, standing up from the ground, heading for the table, a bounding Rufus following her. She sat at the desk, and the dog laid down at her feet. "Besides, Justin is never around anymore, so Rufus and I have sorta bonded. He's just so cute! Look at the pattern around his eyes! It's like a little mask! You shoulda been called Bandit, huh boy?" Rufus perked his ears up and cocked his head to the side. "And look at that feathery, fluffy tail!" Lav knelt down so she was eye to eye with Rufus, who had now sat up. "You're just the sweetest little thing, aren't you? Yes you are!" Rufus proceeded to lick her nose. Lav giggled, and got back up, heading for the desk again.

Just then, the door swung open and Ty and Justin entered. Rufus, as if on cue, leapt up and began covering his master in kisses. "Get down, boy," Justin said, absently scratching behind the dog's ears. "Blaise said he and Draco can't make it, extra practice or some shit," Justin said to Hermione.

She rolled her eyes and shuffled her parchments. "Well, I guess we'll get to it, then. Lav and I have been doing way more work than is our share, but we aren't complaining, so we expect you guys to at least-"she was cut off by Rufus' tail thumping wildly against the floor. "Justin, does your dog have to come to meetings?"

"Someone's irritable today. Rag much?" Ty asked. This earned him a sneer from Hermione.

"Sorry," Justin broke in. "He can't go outside while Quidditch practice is going on, he wants to play too."

"Whatever. Now, as I was saying, . . . " And the boring meeting proceeded.

When it was over, Justin hung back. Rufus had run after Lav. "Is there something you need, Justin?" asked Hermione. She saw the strange look on his face and was immediately concerned.

Justin hesitated. Hermione sat back down and motioned for him to join her. She laid a hand on his and waited for him to start.

"It's not about Lav. I knew you were thinking that," he said with a small smile. "I know she's over me, and I'm mostly over her too. Except when Rufus chooses her over me."

"Oh, he just likes the affection she gives him. When she starts seeing him more as the background again, he'll come back to his senses," she said.

"Well, it's not really that. It's. Just . . . Oh, here." He thrust a scroll into her hand. "I haven't opened it."

Hermione looked at the seal. Finch-Fletchey was imprinted in the wax. "It's from your mother?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah. I don't want to read it. Will you read it for me?"

"Justin, I will, but why haven't you opened it? Are you still mad at her?"

"Hell yes, I'm still mad at her!" Justin bellowed. "My entire life was nothing but a lie! And she's the one that made it that way! She kept me from my father for seventeen years, Hermione! She led me to believe that her husband was my father! She let me think that my life was all happy-go-lucky! She let me think for all those years that I was a mudblood! I was fucking petrified because of that! Because of her! I could have fucking died because of her lies!" He angrily wiped away a tear. Hermione lowered her head so he wouldn't think she saw him cry. Even if it was just a little bit.

"I was petrified, too," Hermione said softly. "And we're fine. You're fine. And you'll continue to be fine. I know this year has been really hard on you so far, Justin. I've been though it, too. I know what it's like to find out everything you've ever known to be true was really just a lie. I know exactly how you feel. But Justin, look at it this way: If Potter and that bitch didn't do to me what they did, I'd have never run away that night, never have come across Draco in the way I did. Never have fallen in love with him, never have become a spy, nor a Death Eater. I wouldn't have had this wonderful life that I do have now. Betrayal led me to my destiny, and it's leading you to yours, too."

Justin sighed. He'd stopped crying after shedding just the one tear. He looked out the window, and said softly, "Yeah, well, she was my mother. She wants me to forgive her. I don't know if I can."

Hermione slipped the unopened scroll back into his hands. "Talk to your dad about it. He seems to be a really great dad."

"Yeah, he is. Thanks, Hermione." He stood up and held out a hand to her. She accepted and they stood looking at each other for a moment. She pulled him into a hug. "Thanks," he whispered.

"Let's go eat." Hermione threaded her arm through the crook of his arm and they left the Room of Requirement. Turning a corner, they bumped into a fifth year Ravenclaw. "Hi, Alexia," Hermione said.

* * *

At dinner in the Great Hall that night, they all had to sit at their house tables as per usual. As Hermione walked in, she felt that something was off, but she couldn't put a finger on what it was. Then she looked up to the staff table, and there was Healer Simmons, enjoying a goblet of wine, smiling at one of the professors. Panic-stricken, Hermione silently called to Lucius.

'What's going on? Why is the healer here? Is everything okay?' She cautiously sat at the Gryffindor table and mindlessly began filling her plate. No one else had found out about Narcissa's ailment, so she tried hard to remain inconspicuous.

'Settle down, girl,' Lucius sent back. 'He just came for a check up; everything is fine. My beautiful wife asked him to stay for dinner, that's all.'

'Swear?'

'Yes.' She thought she heard him mentally sigh.

'Okay then, I'll take your word for it.' She looked across the hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of Draco. It'd been four days since they spent any time together other than breakfast and classes. Either Hermione was already asleep by the time Draco got home from practice, or Draco had fallen asleep before Hermione got back from Head duties. She finally caught sight of him, next to Blaise at the Slytherin table. They were both eating like there was no tomorrow. Hermione was just about to send her love a mental message when Lav plopped down beside her.

"Hey, Herm. 'Sup?"

Hermione sighed. "Nothing. Would you please do my patrol shift tonight? I don't think I can manage."

"Yeah, I'll do it, if you'll talk to Justin for me."

"Justin?" she asked, confused. "What happened to Blaise?"

"Oh, Blaise and I are together," she smirked. "But Justin just keeps throwing me these devilish glares. He's all pissed off 'cause Rufus loves me so much."

"You know, Lav, Justin has a lot going on in his life right now, and I seriously doubt that his smirks are always meant for you." Hermione didn't think she should tell Lav what inner demons were really tormenting Justin. She really thought the two of them were going to be together. But then, Blaise is quite the charmer. Even when he seemed to be repelling Lav, it was obvious that he was trying to draw her nearer. "Maybe you shouldn't be so . . . friendly, with Rufus in front of Justin."

"Can I help it if the fur ball loves me?" Lav asked.

"Lav," Hermione sighed. "Just, please. Chill out when it comes to him, okay?"

Lav eyed her best friend. "Okay."

"So, will you patrol for me, please?" Hermione pleaded. "I swear, we should have Luci-Professor Malfoy get some kids for patrolling only."

"I hear ya, sista. Of course I'll do it for you. But you still owe me! Hey, hand me that pasta! I'm famished! I had such a workout today!"

"Oh?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, handing the serving dish to Lav. She picked at her own food. "What kind of workout?"

"Well," Lav's voice lowered and she leaned closer to Hermione. "We sent Filch down to the greenhouses, said some third years were teasing Mrs. Norris, and Blaise and I shagged in his office!"

"Ew! Why there? In all this castle, you couldn't find somewhere else to do it?" Hermione threw down her fork, no longer hungry.

"No, we've been everywhere else. Besides, it was close to the locker rooms. We have to practically jump each other every chance we get with the intense practice schedules."

"Which _your_ boyfriend makes up, by the way," Hermione replied.

"Yes, well only because_ your_ boyfriend gave up captainship." Lav shoved a fork full of noodles in her mouth. She ate like the guys did! "Are you sitting with me at the first game or with Draco's parents?"

"I don't know, you, I guess," Hermione replied, distracted when she saw the blonde head of her boyfriend standing from the Slytherin table. He started for the door, and she said, "Hey, I gotta go, do, something. Can I talk to you about it later?"

Lav giggled. "Go chase down your man."

Hermione did just that, and fled the Great Hall. She caught up with Draco in one of the corridors.

"Drake!" she yelled, getting his attention.

He swung around. "Hey baby," he smiled. He grabbed her up in his arms and pressed his lips against hers. "I've been dying to get you alone for days!"

"I know," she sneered. "Let's go!" Hand in hand, they took off running for their tower. They barely even made it through the portrait hole before they began shedding clothes.

Walking backwards with his hand roaming all over Hermione's body, Draco nearly stumbled a couple times, finally tripping over the couch and falling backwards onto it. She fell neatly on top of him and devoured his mouth with hers. Stripping off the last bit of cloth, Draco grasped Hermione's hips and guided her onto him. It was fast and hurried, neither one having had the other for what they felt was weeks, though it had only been days. Urgently, their bodies melded together, and within minutes they were both satisfied. Mostly.

Laying together in a sweaty heap on the couch, Draco panted, "Baby, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Only lasting ten minutes."

"It's okay," she said, trying to catch her breath. "I've got plans for you, as soon as I get the energy to drag you off to bed."

"In that case, let's go!" Draco said, nudging her off his body and pulling himself off the couch, grabbing her arm and dragging her with him to their bedroom.

* * *

At breakfast the next day, everyone was visibly more relaxed. Except Hermione, who noticed Healer Simmons still there. Noting her newfound tension, Draco silently asked her, 'What's wrong, baby?'

Eyeing the staff table, she replied, 'That doctor is still here.'

'He is?' Draco grew noticeably more tense.

'Yes. He was here at dinner, and Lucius assured me it was just routine. But what I don't get is why he's still here.'

'Well, we'll go find out after breakfast. In the meantime, did you hear what Justin just said? I wasn't following. Something about a lex? Alexia? What?'

Hermione smiled at him, and tried to turn her attention back to her friends. Lav had just snatched a blueberry from Blaise's plate, and Blaise was working on getting it back. Finding success, Blaise ate the confiscated berry and said to the group, "We are so gonna kick ass in the first Quidditch game!"

"Yeah, you think!" Ty had just walked up from behind. "We are going to slaughter you!" He sat down, straddling the bench, and swiped a pancake from Lav's plate.

"What the hell is up with no one eating off their own plates?" Hermione asked no one in particular.

"Whatever, punk, you're going down, along with all your Ravenclaw buddies. No one is going to beat us this year."

"We'll see," Ty said through a mouthful of food. He grabbed Hermione's goblet and took a drink.

"Hey!" she said. "Mine, ya know!"

"Yeah," Lav said. "She only likes to share with Draco!"

"So?" Hermione laughed, refusing the goblet that Ty was trying to return.

"Victory party in the Room of Requirement after the Quidditch game," Blaise smirked toward Ty.

"Why, isn't that nice of you losers to celebrate Ravenclaw's victory?" Ty laughed.

"Get outta here, asshole, go harass your own bloody team!" Blaise laughed jokingly.

"Love to, but it's time for class," Ty quipped, earning groans from everyone. "Lates!"

* * *

Class was rather boring that day. Everyone was excited for the first Quidditch match of the year, between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. It was hard to concentrate on school work, and everyone was elated that the homework load was significantly lessened for the weekend, except of course, from Professor Binns, who assigned a three-scroll essay on something or other for sixth years.

Hermione hadn't had a chance to talk to Narcissa yet these past two days, but planned on staying after Potions class to talk to Lucius.

"Professor," she approached his desk, using his formal title, as a couple straggling students were still in the room. "I'd like to have a word with you, please."

"Of course, Hermione, please, sit," he gestured to a chair he'd conjured. As the kids left the room, he said, "Before you say anything, he's still here because he fancies Turner." Professor Turner was the Ancient Runes professor.

"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" Hermione queried.

"Hermione, have I ever lied to you?" he questioned.

"No, but there's a first time for everything."

"Well, I'm telling you the truth now. Shall I take veritiserum?"

"No," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I am under an unusual amount of stress lately, and it's just hard to decipher everything."

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you like this, but it's about to get more stressful. The Dark Lord has decided that he'll be here for the Quidditch match."

"What?" Hermione almost shrieked. "What the hell for?"

"Well, this _is_ his school, you know. And we are all his servants."

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that how are the guys supposed to play their best knowing he's watching? They'll be too nervous."

"Well, that'll be their problem. I'm sure they'll do fine. I apologize, but Narcissa and I won't be accompanying you to the match, as we'll be with Lord Voldemort in the staff box, unless you care to join us?"

"Only if he wants me there. Lav Avery wants me to sit with her because, oh, it's not important, she just does."

"As you wish. Now come on, it's time for dinner in the Great Hall. We're having your favorite, steak and potatoes."

'Great,' Hermione thought to herself as she allowed Lucius to accompany her to dinner. 'Not only do I have Lav bitching about Justin, Justin freaking over his mother, Narcissa avoiding me, Voldemort coming to the school, but now I have to starve until breakfast!'


	24. 24

Hermione felt like she was being pulled in a hundred different directions at once. It seemed that everyone she knew needed something from her right now. The Dark Lord had just arrived several minutes prior, and he was walking about the school with Lucius and Horatio. The Ravenclaw and Slytherin Quidditch teams were warming up, as the game would be starting momentarily, so that mean that Draco, Blaise and Ty were not available to help her. Lav and Justin were MIA again, and Hermione was furious that they'd pick today of all days to have one of their pouting squabble fests.

Running through the main hall, trying to get to Voldemort's temporary chambers to be sure everything was suitable before she could sneak down to see a little bit of the game, if she was lucky, that two-sided tugging at her began again.

"Hermione!" came a voice from the left.

"Hermione!" screeched a voice from the right.

Hermione stopped short. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She would get through this day. She would. "What?" she asked, trying to sound patient, but only sounding terse. She opened her eyes and saw Justin and Alexia. She narrowed her eyes at Justin and said, "Just where the hell have you been? You know very well that I can't do this all alone, not with Draco, Blaise and Ty playing today! You and Lav were supposed to be helping me get all this shit done so that I just might be able to see my boyfriend win the first Quidditch match of the season!" Hermione was fuming now, her hands were on her hips and she was seething.

"I'm sorry, Herm, I was just, um, I got kinda sidetracked, and well, um-" Justin started.

"It was my fault, Hermione," Alexia said. "He was with me, and Ty, until he had to leave for the game, and then we lost track of time, and I'm so sorry!"

"And we're here now, well, I'm here now, and Alexia says she'll do anything she can to help you out. Please, be mad at me all you want, I don't blame you at all, but please just, for now, assign us some things to do, and you can give me detentions or something later."

"Fine, we will discuss it later. There is plenty for the two of you to do. Justin, go down to the kitchens and make sure the house elves aren't making steak and potatoes like Lucius ordered. Voldemort hates that. Then-" Hermione spouted off tons of instructions to Justin and Alexia, and the three parted ways. Running to Voldemort's chambers, it suddenly hit her: What the hell were those two doing alone with Ty? Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts. She didn't have time for that now.

By the time she got everything done, she managed to run out to the Quidditch pitch for the last ten minutes of the game. She breathlessly ran over to the staff stands where the Malfoys, Avery, Bronwyn and Turner were watching with the Dark Lord. Someone else was there, was that....Lav? That little bitch! She got to play suck-up to Voldy while SHE was running around like a chicken with her head cut off! Hermione sat down with a thud next to Narcissa. When Lav looked over at her, Hermione shot her death glares. She broke eye contact just in time to see Draco catch the snitch. The game was over, Slytherin won! Looked like Ty really WAS throwing that party for Slytherin tonight. Many of the students were rushing the field, congratulating the players, but Hermione stayed put. She had to play hostess. She did manage to catch Draco's eye as he was swarmed by his housemates.

'Congratulations, I knew you'd do it,' she sent to him.

'Thanks baby. I love you.'

'Love you, too.' Hermione had to turn her attention back to Voldemort, who she felt looking at her.

"I trust all is well with you, Hermione?" Voldemort said.

Hermione smiled and nodded, "Yes sir, it is, thank you." She noticed that the more time he was in power, the more vibrant he looked. You could never tell that if he hadn't lost his body for so long, that he'd be in his sixties. And he looked nothing like he did last summer, before he killed Harry. He looked.....young. And happy. And good, she thought. Ew, I did NOT just say that! Hermione thought to herself. He still had those creepy red eyes and gravelly voice, though.

The staff and Dark Lord began to make their way down to the field to offer their congratulations to the teams. People on the pitch parted as Voldemort made his way toward the Slytherin team. The players grew noticeably tense as he approached. He held out a hand to Blaise, who was loving his position as captain more than he thought he would.. With a huge smile, Blaise shook the proffered hand and thanks. Voldemort turned to Draco and said, "Looks like turning over captainship to this young man was a good idea after all."

"It was, sir, but it was my mother's idea," Draco replied.

"Well, she is a very smart woman, your mother."

After the pitch emptied, everyone headed in for the celebration feast. Hermione was elated that Justin managed to get the elves to switch from Lucius' orders. The elves tended to do little things to get under her skin because of her SPEW efforts in the past. Well they could just kiss her ass, because she didn't give a fuck about liberating a bunch of improper grammar using freaks. Justin must have persuaded them without using her name.

She was so famished, but could barely eat. Her nerves will still unwinding from the day's events. She doubted very much she could make it to the party in the Room of Requirement later that night, but she wanted to be there badly. She was sure Lucius would have something else for her to do. Hermione sighed, and pushed her food around on her plate. Since it was dinner, she'd had to sit at the Gryffindor table. At least Lav was there, too, and hadn't weaseled her way into the staff table.

"Herm?" Lav asked as she shooed away the second year that had been sitting next to Hermione, taking the seat for herself.

"What Lav?" she said monotonously.

"I know you're pissed, and I'm so sorry. When Daddy told me that I had to play tour guide for you know who, I wasn't very happy about it. I mean, come on! He went to school here, he knows where everything is! I told Justin to tell you, didn't he?"

"No," Hermione said, a little less mad at her best friend. "He might have tried, but I snapped at him and Alexia when they found me. I made them do lots of work and they have to serve detentions later," she added with a smirk.

"Girl, you are too much! Hey, did you hear that Voldy doesn't like Rufus?"

"What? He's not going to make him leave, is he?"

"No, but he has to stay in the Room of Requirement until Voldy leaves again. Poor Rufey!" Lav frowned.

"Wait, why don't we put him down in Hagrid's old hut? Fang isn't there anymore, so Rufus can have the whole place to himself!" Hermione exclaimed.

"That is a great idea! I can't wait to tell Justin!"

"Wait, you actually WANT to talk to him? That's a shocker!" Hermione laughed.

"Yeah, well since he hooked up with Alexia, he's much easier to talk to. He's still pissed that Rufus likes me best," she smiled. After that, the two ate companionably, the previous tension dissipated.

When dinner was winding down, Lucius got to be in his height and glory as he got to give yet another speech. Hermione tuned it out, as she'd heard it several times this morning while it was being perfected. In fact, Hermione ended up writing most of it. The staff and Voldemort exited, doing whatever it was they did, and as Hermione was about to stand, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up and saw Ty. "Hey. Good game today. Too bad you lost," she smiled sweetly.

"Haha, funny," Ty said, straddling the bench next to her. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Great, not him too! Hermione thought. "Of course."

"Do you think it would be a problem with Blaise if I took May to the party tonight?"

"Oh?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Still going, even though you lost?"

"Yes, I am! It WAS my idea, afterall! So, what do you think?"

"I think Blaise has already forgotten who May is," Hermione stated

Ty laughed. "I bet you're right. See ya there later?" he asked as he swiped a piece of chicken off her plate.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know, I'll try to make it. Depends on if Lucius needs me for anything else tonight."

"Okay, lates!" Ty snatched her roll and ran off. What is it with everyone sharing food in this place?

Hermione called out to a house elf, who appeared out of the shadows. "Yes, ma'am?" it said.

"Take me to wherever the Headmaster is," she said nonchalantly. The little elf scurried through several passageways and led Hermione to a wooden door, then disappeared back into the shadows. She knocked, and the door opened. She entered, and luckily, Lucius and Bronwyn were in there alone.

"Will you be needing anything else from me tonight, sir?"

Lucius looked around. "It's just Bronwyn, you can call me Lucius, you know."

"Sorry Lucius. So?"

"No," he smiled. He turned to a cabinet and pulled something out. Hermione thought his hair looked much better cut short and now that he was wearing clothes from this century, he didn't look so.... poufy. He turned back to her with a bottle of dark liquid. "Take this up to the party. Give my congratulations to Draco."

"How do you know about the party?" she asked.

"Please," he smiled. "I know everything that goes on in this school. Tell Blaise to keep that, stuff, in his pocket till most of the guests leave."

Hermione gasped, then smiled. "Thanks, Lucius." She hesitated for a second, then took a couple steps forward and hugged him. Then she ran out of the room and up to her rooms. She had to change for the party.

She decided on light blue hiphugger jeans and a soft pink off the shoulder sweater with three-quarter length sleeves that showed just the tiniest hint of flesh at the waist. As she was putting on her black boots, she felt someone in the room with her.

"You look gorgeous," she heard Draco say. She turned to him, smiling. He pulled her close enough to kiss the tip of her nose, and then he said, "But it's missing something."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"Yeah. Like this," he said, pulling out a box. Hermione took the box and gently opened the lid. Inside was the beautiful opal necklace on the impossibly thin silver chain that she'd seen in Hogsmeade that day with Draco and Justin, and had been sad to see gone when she was there with Narcissa.

She gasped. "Draco! It's beautiful! It's, when, how...?"

"That day when we were in Hogsmeade with Justin, and I made you guys wait for me when I said I needed some potion ingredients," he smiled smugly.

"You've had it all this time?" she asked.

"I was waiting for the right time to give it to you." He leaned in and kissed her softly, then turned her around so he could fasten it around her neck. Then he trailed kisses down her neck towards her shoulder.

"Draco, the party," Hermione whispered, closing her eyes and sinking into his arms.

"It can wait," he said.

* * *

"We're only an hour late!" Draco smiled as he and Hermione walked past three times, making the door to the Room of Requirement open. "I'm sure no one noticed."

"Hermione!" is what they heard as soon as they entered.

She sneered at Draco. "Yeah right." She turned to Alexia. "Hey, nice dress! What's goin' on?"

"I HAVE to talk to you! You're never going to believe this!"

Hermione cast Draco a half-smile as she let the Ravenclaw sixth year lead her away. They found a somewhat private corner and a screen appeared to hide them from most of the other partygoers. "Okay, so spill." Hermione thought it was going to be some big drama involving Justin and Lav, so she was completely floored by what came out of Alexia's mouth.

"Are you serious?" Hermione's eyes must have just popped out of her head.

"I swear it!" Alexia vowed. "The three of us. Right there. So that's why we were all late. Ty was almost late to for the game!"

"So how did this initiate?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Justin and I were flirting ever since I saw him with you the other day. And honestly, I don't know HOW it got started! But, man, let me tell you, it was the most incredible sex I ever had! Uh, not that I've had any....er, that much." Alexia picked this moment to get shy.

"So, let me get this straight. You got a thing for Justin. Justin has a thing for you. Neither one of you have a thing for Ty, and you don't think Ty has a thing for you, but you guys had a threesome anyway?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Okay," Hermione deducted. "So, if everyone knows where everyone stands, then what's the problem?"

"Well, you see, in the heat of the moment, they sorta kissed. Each other."

"So?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Well they both seemed to enjoy it an awful lot, but afterward, they were both kinda freaked. Ty went rushing off to the game, and me and Justin talked about it for a minute before we came to find you."

"And?"

"Well, they aren't gay, or bi, or whatever. They just got caught up in the moment and went with it. I told Justin that just because he liked it does not mean he wants to get with Ty regularly or anything. I told him it was just for fun. It's not like they fondled each other or anything. I think Justin is all good with it now, but Ty...." she trailed off, as both their gazes landed across the room (the screen had just disappeared) at Ty, who was making out pretty hotly with May.

Hermione sat, concerned for a moment. "I think Ty's just hanging all over May to prove his masculinity or something. To prove to himself that he's not gay because he kissed Justin." She paused for a moment. "He'll be fine. We'll keep an eye on him. If he seems to still be weirded out in a few days, I'll talk to him."

"Thanks, Herm. You barely even know me and you let me sit here and tell you about my incredible sex life."

"Not a problem," Hermione smiled. "Besides, Justin has become a pretty good friend of mine, and whatever makes him happy is okay with me. Now, if you'd excuse me, I gotta go find my boyfriend and thank him again for this necklace."

Alexia spotted the opal and stared. "I saw one just like that in Hogsmeade before term. Wow, Hermione, do you know how much this cost?" she asked, holding out her fingers to touch it, but not making contact. "Hermione, it was seventy-five thousand."

"Galleons?!" Hermione exclaimed, her hands covering the precious stone.

Wide-eyed, Alexia nodded.

Hermione gasped and then sent out a silent message. 'Draco Malfoy!'

From across the room, his shoulders tensed. 'Yes, honey bunny?'

'Don't you honey bunny me! Where are you?'

'Uh, on the east side of the room, with the team.'

'Well you better excuse yourself and meet me in the middle.'

Uh oh, Draco thought, heading for their meeting point. What is she pissed about? Did he do something? Approaching her with caution, he couldn't help but be concerned that she looked so upset.

"What is it, baby?"

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head. 'This conversation is better left mental.'

'Baby, what is it?' He was starting to get worried now.

'Seventy-five thousand galleons?'

'Hey, how did you find out?'

'Alexia told me. She saw it in Hogsmeade.'

'Well, I am a bit upset that she told you how much your gift cost, but baby, what's the problem?'

'Do you KNOW how much money that is???? How could you spend that much on jewelry?'

'Baby, it's just money. I've got loads. YOU'VE got loads. What's the matter with spending it on you?'

'Wait a minute, you bought it that day at Hogsmeade?'

'Yeah...'

'You had that much cash on you?'

'Baby, it's not that much money. You know how rich my family is, and you know I've got plenty of my own money. Voldemort always gives us the estates of whoever we kill. You know that. Baby, you have about eighty million in cash and assets from just that one reward he gave you.'

"Eighty million?" she exclaimed aloud. "Oh God, I need to sit." Which she did. Right in the middle of the floor. Rufus bounded over and started licking her face, but she was too phased to notice.

"Baby?" Draco asked. "Baby, get up. Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, still shocked. She nodded, but Draco didn't believe her. She had caught quite a few glances with her little outburst. Of course, no one knew what they were talking about, but still....She held out her hand and Draco pulled her up. Rufus bounded over to someone else. "I think I need a drink."

"I heard that!" Blaise shouted from a few people over. He closed the few steps between them and thrust a glass into her hands, which she downed without even asking what it was. She held out her glass for a refill, which Blaise gladly gave her. Finishing quickly, she wanted more.

"I think you better chill for a sec," Blaise said, concerned.

"Blaise, go get the girl a beer," Draco said. "Herm," he said, turning back to her. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Where's my beer?" she asked.

Draco grinned as Blaise approached. "Right here, Herm!" Blaise thrust a bottle into her hands, which she tipped back. Blaise winked knowingly at Draco, and headed back to Lav.

"Where's that bottle Lucius gave me earlier?" Hermione asked.

"Naw, we're saving that for later, when there's not so many people here."

"Oh yeah, I have to tell Blaise to keep it in his pocket."

"What?" Draco asked. The two glasses of liquor and the beer Blaise gave her went down awfully fast, and he thought maybe she was drunk already.

"The weed," she said annoyedly, as if he should have known what she meant.

"Baby, he left that up in his room."

"Well then how are we gonna get high?" she asked, reaching for another beer.

Draco sighed. "Wanna dance?" Maybe distraction was the answer.

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling his body close to hers.

"Honey, this is not a slow song."

"So?"

"You're right," he chuckled. "So."

Suddenly, the music stopped. Everyone went silent. Hermione looked up, and saw Voldemort at the entrance. The crowd parted, and he made his way toward her. Great! Not only did she have enough stress going on today, but now Voldemort was here, in the middle of the party, and she was drunk! Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts, and was about to say something hopefully witty when Voldemort walked past her and instead began talking to Blaise. Hermione exhaled a sigh of relief. Watching from the corner of her eye, Hermione grabbed a glass of soda, tapped it with her wand, murmuring a sobering spell, and drank it in two gulps. The party started back up, but it wasn't as loud as it was before the uninvited guest arrived. Blaise was having a heyday. He was grinning from ear to ear while Voldemort talked to him about the Quidditch game.

"Ugh, can you believe this shit?" Lav asked, walking up to Hermione. "My date gets stolen by the Dark Lord!"

Hermione snorted. "You should be grateful he's taking such a liking to him. Wait, where's he going?" Hermione questioned, watching as Voldemort shook Blaise's hand once more and started for the door. She hurried after him, leaving Lav behind. Catching up with him right beside the door, she said, "Sir! Is there anything I can do for you?"

He smiled at her. "Just go enjoy the party, Hermione. You have done more than enough for me. We'll talk again soon. Nice necklace." With that, he left. Once the door had closed, Hermione breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"This day can NOT get any more stressful!" She slid down the wall, fingering her new necklace.

"Sure it can!" said Lav, sitting next to her. Draco plopped down on the floor on her other side, and Justin squatted in front of her.

Looking up at Justin, Hermione exclaimed, "Oh shit! Rufus! I forgot about him being here! Did he-"

"No, calm down, girl! Lav did some quick thinking and petrificus totalused him when she saw you know who enter." As if on cue, Rufus unbound and started barking like he didn't have a care in the world. Which he didn't; he was a dog. Oh, to be so oblivious.... "He likes living down in the hut, thanks Herm."

Hermione watched Rufus jump up between Ty and May. "Hey, where's Alexia?" she asked Justin, taking his water glass from him and sipping.

Lav raised an eyebrow at her action, but didn't say anything.

"Well, she had to talk to, um, Ty, about something or other, and um, I guess they're done, cuz now Rufus is mauling him and May, so I guess I better go find her." Hermione tried to hand his cup back. "No, you keep it. I'll get another."

"What the hell was all that stuttering about?" Draco asked.

Hermione shook her head. "You don't want to know, trust me."

"Hell yeah, we wanna know!" Lav said, nudging her.

"Well I'm not telling, so give it up!" Hermione smiled. They stood and helped her up.

The party went on for hours, and some of the younger kids had left. It was mostly fifth years and up now. Hermione had finally been able to release the tension of the day, and was having a great time. She cut back on the drinking after Voldemort almost caught her half-drunk. She found that soda was a nice substitute for beer.

"Hermione!" yelled Blaise, running up to her.

"Oh, God, what now?" she asked, twirling around toward him.

"Wanna dance?"

"Yes!" she shouted, relieved he didn't have a problem that needed solved. He grabbed her hand and they went to the dance floor, moving to the rhythm, laughing.

"So, did you hear about your little friend Alexia giving it up to guys at once?"

Hermione feigned surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "It's just what I heard. Your girl is a little slut puppy."

"Sounds like your kind of girl," Hermione playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Like you wouldn't want to have a threesome."

"Nah, been there, done that. Pansy whined about it the whole time."

"Pansy? I forgot you were with her. Where IS she, anyways?"

Blaise smirked. "I broke her heart so bad, she transferred to Durmstrang."

Hermione play-smacked him on the arm. "Blaise Zabini! You dog!" Then she smiled widely. "Good job. I hate that little bitch."

The music turned to a slow song, and Blaise raised an eyebrow at Hermione questioningly. She smiled and nodded, so he pulled her into his arms. They continued talking about their mutual dislike for Pansy. "It was just that she was forbidden, I guess. As soon as it was okay to be with her, she lost all my interest. Plus, she didn't like the fact that I was with all those other girls."

"Blaise, you cheated on her, too? You're such an ass!"

He smirked. "So? You know you love me anyways." The song ended, and he dipped her low. Hermione squealed in surprise, and then noticed that the whole room was looking at them. For show, Blaise planted a loud, smacking kiss on her lips before letting her up. Always one for attention, Blaise had everyone looking at him now. Hermione jokingly pushed him away, and his gaze landed back on Lav. Hermione found her way back to Draco.

"He's such a dork sometimes," she said, talking about Blaise.

Draco's mood darkened. "You didn't have to kiss him back."

"What?" Hermione asked, shocked. "I didn't kiss him back!"

"Yes you did, I saw you." Draco turned and started to walk away.

Hermione grabbed his arm and yanked him back. "I did NOT kiss him back, Draco! It lasted a whole, what, two seconds? He was just putting on a show like always. You know him, he's your best friend!"

"Wouldn't be the first time he went after something of mine," Draco said quietly.

"What the hell are you talking about? You didn't even WANT Pansy!"

"Doesn't change the fact that she was mine, and he wanted her."

"Oh please, Draco, Blaise does NOT want me! He's on some kind of high from the game, and Voldemort talking to him twice. You know him, he just has to have all the attention, so he did something to get it. He does NOT want me, nor do I want him."

"Whatever," Draco said quietly and left the room.

Hermione chased after him. "Draco Malfoy, stop right there! We are NOT having a fight over this shit! There's nothing going on between me and Blaise. There never will be. I love you. You, Draco."

He stopped quickly, almost causing her to bump into him. "Nice way of showing it, kissing your secret boyfriend in front of everyone."

Hermione's nostrils flared. "When you get over yourself, Draco, I'll accept your apology, as I'm sure Blaise will, too. Until then, fuck you." With that, she turned on her heel and went back to the party.

"Hermione!" she heard Blaise yell from across the room. She sighed. Not now. Ignoring Blaise, she went to the refreshment table and grabbed a finger sandwich. She took a bite and then discarded it. What the hell just happened?

"Where the fuck is Draco?" Blaise asked, coming up behind her and bumping her shoulder with his. He thought this was cute; she thought it was annoying.

Hermione whipped around on him. "I wouldn't fucking know. He stormed off after your little 'show'. Now he's all pissed, thinking you and I are secret lovers or some shit. Thanks a lot."

"Why would Draco think I'm fucking you?" Blaise laughed.

"Fucking? Who are you fucking?" Ty asked, coming up behind him.

"Hermione, apparently," he smirked.

"Argh!" Hermione yelled.

Just then, Lav found them. "What is all this commotion? This is a party, so let's party!"

Ty waggled his eyebrows at Lav. "Your boyfriend is fucking Hermione."

"What?" Lav exlaimed. "Hermione! How could you? I mean, you have DRACO! Draco, of all people! What would you want with Blaise? Wait a minute, Blaise?!? What the fuck, Hermione?"

"I am NOT fucking Blaise!" she screamed, drawing glances from several others.

Lav just looked at her, smoldering. Then she shoved past Blaise, ramming him hard in the stomach.

"Is she fucking drunk or what?" Hermione asked no one in particular. "Like I'd EVER fuck Blaise."

Blaise's eyebrows shot up. "Why not? Ain't I hot enough for you?"

"Blaise," Hermione said evenly, as though she was talking to a small child. "I'm sure you are very hot. I'm sure you're a good fuck. But I do NOT want you. I love Draco, who at this very moment is freaking out because he thinks you and I are having an affair. And, by the way, your girlfriend is ALSO freaking out, so maybe you should just go after her and set her straight."

"Oh?" he asked. "Like YOU'RE setting your boyfriend straight?"

"MY boyfriend only needs some time to cool off. MY boyfriend does not have a promiscuous past, like Lav's boyfriend does," she shot him several death glares. "So if you want to keep her, you better go fix this. And then you can try and salvage your relationship with your best friend, who happens to by MY boyfriend." Hermione's arms were crossed across her chest and her eyes were so narrowed at him, she thought she might look asleep. Turning on her heel, she stomped out of the party in the Room of Requirement and slammed the door. Sinking against the wall, she slid down to the floor for the second time tonight, but this time, she put her head in her hands and wept.

* * *

_a/n: Hey guys! sorry it took so long to update, but I couldn't get logged in! Plus, I had some writer's block, so let's all give a big THANKS to LaurenMM80 for stayin' on my ass to get this chapter done! :D and also, I'm going on a date tonight, so yay for me! :) Leave me some reviews, please._


	25. 25

Hermione didn't know how long she sat in the hallway, but it must have been quite a while, as some partygoers were starting to filter out.

"Herm?" She looked up. It was May. "Are you okay?"

Hermione sniffled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She reached out a hand and May helped her up. "Um, what time is it?"

"Around twelve. Why are you out here alone?"

Hermione snorted. "As if you didn't see the little display earlier."

"I saw the Dark Lord talking to Blaise, and you."

"And you missed the little episode between me and Blaise?"

May gasped. "You and Blaise? You guys got a thing going on?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No! There is nothing going on with me and Blaise. We're just friends. He's Draco's best friend, for crying out loud!" By now, Hermione was waving her hands about. "All we did was dance, and Blaise had to go and be a goof as usual and dipped me and kissed me."

"Whoa, you guys kissed? In front of everyone at the party? No wonder Draco's pissed. I would be too! Well, I mean, if Ty kissed someone else."

Hermione's eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. "You know, May, Ty is like, what, your fifth guy since term started? Not everyone goes through guys faster than they change underwear! Draco is the only one for me, and I was NOT kissing Blaise!" Hermione shoved past her and stormed off.

Not sure where she was heading, she ended up in the owlry. She sat down against a wall and began crying again. Head in her hands, she felt something warm nuzzle against her leg. She looked down, and didn't believe her eyes. She looked again. "Pig?" It was Ron's owl. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He looked up at her and hooted. It was more like squeaking. Hermione smiled. He WAS kind of cute. "Haven't you found a new home? Have you just been hanging out here since I had your family killed?"

"Hooooot," Pig said miserably. She half-smiled and patted him on the head. He started moving along her fingers much like a kitten would do.

"So you're all alone now, huh? Seems to be a trend." Pig hopped up into her lap and nuzzled against her body. She genuinely smiled, and rubbed under his chin. This owl was meant to be a cat! "You're a sweetie. You can come home with me tonight. Wherever that is . . . "

Where WAS she going to go? Obviously not back to the Heads tower. The Room of Requirement was out, since there were sure to be partygoers staying late. She supposed she could go stay in Hagrid's hut with Rufus, but that didn't sound very appealing. Her old Gryffindor dorm was occupied by Lav. She didn't think Lav would believe the lies, but she couldn't be sure. She'd just pissed off May, so staying in Slytherin was out. Maybe Justin would let her stay in an empty Hufflepuff dorm? Doubtful, but it was worth a shot.

She stood up, dusted off her pants, and Pig hopped up onto her shoulder. "Great, now he thinks he's a parrot." She trekked to the dorms, and muttered the password to the portrait. Inside, there were a few people milling about, and no one was surprised to see her there. They assumed she was just doing her rounds.

"What's up, Hermione?" asked a sixth year that hadn't gone to the party.

"Is Justin around?" she asked. Looking at the grandfather clock, she saw that it was now 1:30. She must have been wandering and then in the owlry for quite a while.

"He's up in his room."

"Thanks," Hermione faked a smile, and headed up. Knocking softly on his door in case he was asleep, she softly said, "Justin? Are you awake?"

She heard a commotion inside, and a moment later, a shirtless Justin opened the door, panting. "Yes, Hermione?" he said, agitated.

"Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but um, can I stay in an empty room for the night?"

"Yeah, yeah, there's a spare room down the hall. Goodnight!" He slammed the door in her face, but not before she caught a glimpse of Alexia wrapped up in his bed sheets. Hermione supposed it was a good thing that Justin had a private room. She shrugged, and headed in the general direction Justin had pointed her in. She peeked into a room, and saw some clothes scattered about. Must be taken. Ah, how about this one? Opening the mahogany door, she saw a neatly made bed and no personal items about. This must be the room Justin was talking about.

"Elf!" she called out. A few moments later, a house elf appeared. "Go to the Heads tower and get my things."

"All of thems, miss?" it asked.

"Yes, all of thems," she mocked. The elf scurried away and Hermione removed Pig from her shoulder, placing him atop a large armoire and flopping onto the twin bed. It was a big smaller than she was accustomed to, but then, she was accustomed to sharing a bed, so she supposed this was a good thing. The smaller bed would make it seem less empty, she hoped. It was a nice room. Not the traditional Hufflepuff colors, but it was done in earth tones with lots of foliage. Wow, it even had a private bathroom. She wondered if this was the old Head's room, before Lucius revamped the school and moved the heads to the astronomy tower.

She had started to drift to sleep, when she heard a thumping. It was the house elves with her belongings. They silently placed them where they thought the items would belong, and had even brought a cage and some snacks for Pig.

"Will there be anythings else, miss?"

"No, that's all."

"Then I haves a message for you from the Headmaster."

"Well what is it?" she yelled, sitting up on the bed.

"Him says that I haves to give you this message." The elf held out a rolled parchment, which Hermione jerked from his hand. The elf scurried off.

Hermione read:

_Hermione,_

_There has been a slight problem with Narcissa's treatment. Don't fret, she's all right, mostly. It seems she has progressed to stage four. "Progressed" seems to be the wrong term, but luckily Healer Simmons is still on grounds, and is tending to her directly. Draco has asked that you not come, though I have no idea why. He did, however, say that he did not tell you about the mental message that I sent him while you were both at the party. He actually said not to tell you at all, but seeing how close you are to both Narcissa and me, I felt I needed to override him on this. Please, don't come tonight. As there are no classes tomorrow, come around nine. I don't know what's going on with the two of you, but I'll be sure to send Draco out for something or other._

_Again, don't worry, the healer says it's only stage four. After the initial shock to her system, she'll be fine again, he promises. Damn well better be, or I'll have his head. I'm sorry to say this, but stay away for tonight._

_Yours,_

_Lucius_

Hermione sighed. Well, that explained why Draco went off like he did. He tended to form distractions when something was really upsetting him. Of course, she'd forgive him for his little outburst, but he'd have to apologize to her first. Damn him! And damn "it!" Why the hell did Narcissa have to get sick? What did she ever do to deserve it? So what if she was a Death Eater? So what if she killed people for fun? So what if she . . .

Hermione slunk back down onto the bed. Why was so much happening right now?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door. "Who is it?"

'That's a stupid question,' she thought to herself. 'No one knows I'm here but Justin and the elves.'

"Come in!" she yelled.

The door opened, and in stepped Blaise.

"Blaise!" she said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hermione, I'm really sorry. I didn't think he'd get pissed. It was just fun, ya know?" Blaise looked genuinely upset.

"I know. Sit down." She told him about Lucius' letter.

"What do you mean, stage four?"

Hermione gulped. Whoops. No one knew Narcissa was sick. "Blaise, Narcissa and I didn't go to a spa. We went to Spain. She's really sick. She has a terminal illness for which there's no cure. There are treatments, but they only make her remaining time more comfortable. Her passing is inevitable. I mean, she's got loads of time left, possibly even years! But she jumped from stage two to stage four rather quickly. We're all really scared, and on edge, and after Lucius mentally told Draco what happened, that's why he flipped out on the two of us."

"Shit, this is heavy!" Blaise exclaimed.

"I know, and you have to swear you aren't going to tell anyone! You can't even let Draco know you know! Swear to me, Blaise!" Hermione said solemnly.

"I swear, I swear!" he said.

"More than that." Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered a spell to make the tip turn into a blade. "Blood oath," she said.

Blaise nodded, and held out his arm. Where his dark mark would soon be, Hermione slid the blade over his skin and pierced it. A thin line of blood trickled down his forearm. She did the same to herself, cutting right across her tattoo. Reaching out their arms to each other, with their uncut hands, they held the others'. Leaning their heads down, they licked the other's blood and then whispered, "Blood to my blood, oath to my oath."

They stared at each other for a moment and then stepped apart. Their wounds healed themselves. "You can't ever tell, Blaise."

"I know."

They stood in silence for a few moments. "Um, so,.. What are we going to do about Draco?"

"Wait, what's Lav have to say about all this?"

"She's pissed, of course. I'm sure she will realize that it's a bunch of shit. She's not as gullible as May," he smirked.

"Shit, I really pissed off May earlier."

"Who cares? Let her run back to Ty. She'll be on to someone else in two days."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I told her," Hermione half smiled.

They went closer to the fireplace and sat on the cushiony couch. "Ignito," Hermione said to the fireplace, which roared to life.

"I really am sorry, Herm. You know I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think Draco would realize it was a goof."

"He knows it was. He knows both of us. He knows we wouldn't do that shit. He's just upset about his mother. It's understandable."

"Yeah." They sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you gonna make him apologize?" Blaise asked.

"Yeah."

"You're such a bitch," he laughed.

"I am not! I just expect a little respect from him. After all we've been through, he should have known he could talk to me about his problems, instead of creating new ones to avoid them."

"Yeah."

"So I'm not going crawling back to him this time. He's gonna have to come to me."

Hermione accio'ed a quilt from the other side of the room and draped it around her shoulders. Even with the fire, she was chilled to the bone. Pig fluttered over and settled in her lap. Noticing Blaise, she accio'ed a second quilt for him. Snuggled together yet apart in silence, watching the fire, the three drifted to sleep on the couch.

* * *

Hermione woke the next morning, surrounded by unfamiliar arms. What happened? Who was . . . Oh no! She was wrapped up in Blaise's arms! The events of last night came rushing back to her. A slight shifting beneath her brought her back to the present. Pig had awoken and was working on burrowing his way out of the covers.

"Blaise," Hermione croaked. "Blaise, wake up! We-"

She was stopped short by feeling another presence in the room. She looked toward the door. Draco!

"Draco!" she called.

"Fuck you, Hermione. I came here to apologize, to tell you I know there was nothing between you two, that I was misplacing my anger over Mum's illness, but what do I find here? I find you. And my best friend. Sleeping together."

Blaise woke. "What . . . Draco! This is SO not what it looks like!" He scrambled to get away from Hermione, but the quilts were too tangled. "We were just talking, and fell asleep, and-"

"Fell asleep in each other's arms?" Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "Nice." His nostrils flared.

Blaise and Hermione tried to untangle themselves from the covers, Pig hooting merrily at the commotion.

"Draco, if you'd just listen!" Hermione pleaded.

"I know all I need to." Draco turned on his heel and fled the room.

"Fuck," Blaise sighed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Yeah, fuck," Hermione replied. "This is so out of control. What am I going to do? What are you going to do? He's going to go tell Lav what he thinks he saw here." She tried to burrow deeper into the covers.

Finally coming free of the two entwined blankets, Blaise stood up, only to trip and fall on a corner of the quilt. Staying on the floor, he again said, "Fuck."

"How did Draco know where I was?" Hermione asked no one in particular. Pig hooted, as if he was telling her.

"Probably the same way as me, by asking Justin. I think he was getting laid. He was all pissed and said something about damn interruptions."

"Oh yeah, he's with Alexia now. And Ty," Hermione giggled.

"Ale---Ty? What the fuck?" Blaise stuttered.

"No, nothing!" Hermione shook her head rapidly. "I didn't say anything!" She clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Fuck, Herm, you gotta tell me now!" Blaise tried again to get up from the tangled heap, and tripped. Finding his footing, he finally broke free of the cloth. He closed the distance between them in two steps and grabbed her shoulders. "Tell me right now what you meant by that."

"Never."

"Tell me!" Blaise was trying to look like a hard ass, but was having trouble not smiling. His lip twitched, and then he broke into a full smile. "Do you realize that we are standing here arguing about their threesome, when we are both one-somes now?"

Hermione's face fell, then realization sunk in. "Wait, you know about the threesome?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Who doesn't? Alexia can't keep quiet to save her soul." Realizing that his hands were still on Hermione's shoulders, he pulled back. "So, um, I guess I better go. The rumors have already started, and if anyone finds out that I stayed in your room in Hufflepuff all night, they'll only get worse."

"Yeah," Hermione said sadly.

"Oh Herms, don't cry," Blaise said softly. "He'll come around. Once I get Lav straightened out, we'll have her throw a party and we'll do another round of Truth or Dare with the veritiserum." He reached his hand out and stroked her cheek. "Your eyes get all green when you cry, did you know that?"

Hermione nodded, looking into Blaise's gaze. He took another step closer, and Hermione tilted up her head. Was he going to kiss her? Wait, was she going to let him? Look what happened the last time they kissed! No, she told herself. Step back! Don't do it!

Blaise leaned down, his lips an inch from hers. This was it, Hermione held her breath. He was going to do it! Why couldn't she stop this? Why was she just standing there with her eyes closed, anticipating his touch? Why was--- why was he stopping?

Her eyes flew open. Blaise was already halfway across the room. Her brow furrowed. "Blaise?"

"I gotta go. I-" he paused for a moment, then, "Later."

Dumbfounded, Hermione stood stock still, staring. What the hell was up with her lately? Pig hooted, and fluttered onto her shoulder.

* * *

Trudging into the Great Hall for breakfast, Hermione decided it was probably a good idea just to grab something and go. She dared a glance at the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting with May, and Blaise was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she'd take a page from his book. She grabbed a piece of fruit from a bowl on a table and turned around. Exiting the hall, she bumped into Lucius. Not now . . .

"Hermione! Come, Narcissa has asked to see you while Draco is attempting to eat. Though it doesn't look like he's eating much. Must have wanted some red meat or something."

Tired of listening to Lucius babble, she interrupted, "Lucius, what's going on? Your letter wasn't very descriptive, and I'm quite worried."

"Oh, well, I WAS hiding from Draco when I wrote it. I don't know what the fuck is up with you guys lately, but --whoa. Nice necklace. Where'd you get that?"

Hermione's fingers self-consciously flew up to her throat, covering the pendant. "I, er, Draco gave it to me. He'll probably want it back now." They spoke as they rushed to the hospital wing. "Wait, the hospital wing? Why is she there? The early stages don't require hospitalization." Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. "Lucius," she said, wide-eyed.

"Just. Just come on," he said, flustered.

Hermione didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't this. Narcissa was in bed with the covers drawn tightly, and her eyes were all blackened and sunken in. "Narcissa!" Hermione shouted, vaulting to her side. She grasped the older lady's hand and brushed her hair off her forehead.

"Looks like I jumped right to stage ten."

"Ten?" Hermione tried to hide her shock and horror, but was unsuccessful. Gathering herself, she said more calmly, "Ten is just a number. You'll be fine. Now tell me, what can I do for you?"

"Cast a glamour on me, please. I don't like looking this way," Narcissa croaked.

Hermione turned to Healer Simmons and he nodded. Pulling out her wand, Hermione muttered the proper words and Narcissa immediately looked her normal self.

"Now Draco might not act like such a timid mouse around me," Narcissa smiled weakly. Although she looked better, the sparkle in her eyes was still gone, and her voice was still weak. "Where is he, anyway?" She looked around.

"He's having some breakfast," Hermione said.

"Without you?" asked Narcissa.

Hermione's head fell. "Well,"

"It's okay. I know what happened. I also know that he only acted the way he did because his father had just sent him a mental message about my condition."

"I know that, too. I know he was just taking out his fear and anger on me, he was misplacing his emotions because he's in denial, but there's something else."

"What is it?"

"Well," Hermione lifted her head and looked into Narcissa's eyes. "Blaise came last night to the room in Hufflepuff Justin let me stay in, and he apologized for stirring up trouble, and we apparently fell asleep on the couch. Draco came this morning, to apologize, I think, but jumped to the wrong conclusion. Of course, who could blame him? But we didn't do anything, Narcissa, I swear it! I don't think we're even friends anymore, after this morning."

Narcissa looked thoughtfully at Hermione. "Did you tell him this?"

"Well, yes, but he didn't believe me." Hermione was trying not to cry. Why the hell was she going on and on about HER life when Narcissa's was slipping away. "You believe me, don't you?"

Narcissa was quiet for a moment. Then, "Yes, I believe you, and it's only a matter of time before he will, too. Everything will turn out the way it's supposed to. It always does."

"That's bullshit. You weren't supposed to get sick. Justin wasn't supposed to kiss Ty, I'm sure May and Alexia weren't meant to be sluts, and I-"

Narcissa cut her off. "You were meant to do everything you've done so far. You were meant to be betrayed by your friends, you were meant to run away and find Draco's cabin. You were meant to help the Dark Lord defeat Potter, and you were meant to be with Draco. As for me, this is obviously what I was meant for."

Hermione was crying now. "I just-"

"Hermione," Narcissa said in as firm a voice as she could muster, "It's just the way it is. Deal with it, because Draco and Lucius are going to need you to help THEM deal with it. You're a strong person, Hermione, and a strong witch. You're going to have to be the backbone of this family when I'm gone."

"Don't talk like that! You're not going anywhere!" Hermione tried being the cheerleader again, feeling guilty over her own trauma instead of what she should have been focusing on.

"That's right," came a voice from the doorway. All heads turned, and saw Voldemort standing there with several others. "But he is," he said, pointing to Simmons. "Get out of here, now!"

Simmons stood shell shocked for a moment, then took off running like a rabbit.

Voldemort entered the room, and came and sat on the other side of the bed as Hermione. He looked at Narcissa and Hermione's hands entangled, and said, "That quack wasn't doing any good. This is a team of specialists I brought in from Japan. They'll fix you right up, Narcissa."

He continued talking, and introducing the healers, and Hermione took the opportunity to slip out the door. She didn't realize Narcissa was this bad! No wonder Draco had acted the way he did! He was going through so much, and what did she do? She went and almost kissed his best friend! This was not good. Not good at all. She had to get away. Fast.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, I know it's shorter than usual. I want to apologize to all my readers for taking so long to update. But that date I told ya'll about turned into a relationship, and with helping my son with homework, doing housework, Christmas shopping and planning the dinner I'm hosting, plus talking to Michael every night, I don't really have a lot of time. I haven't even watched television forever, except when Michael and I watched his favorite shows together, which sucked! Ah, the things we do for our men, LOL. _

_Now don't get upset that I've thrown Narcissa into stage ten. I DO have storylines planned out, they just take forever for me to get them written. I PROMISE not to let this story go without an ending. NO matter how busy I get, I swear I'll keep writing this story until it's finished._

_Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions. WOW. I'm on FORTY favorite author lists! And 101 author alert watch lists! You guys are all so great! And double WOW, 278 reviews! I love you guys! I love Ireth and LaurenM80 and Skittlebip the mostest, hehe. You are MY GIRLS and you ROCK! I have to get ready for that dreaded thing called work now, so leave me another review, won't ya? :)_


	26. 26

"Hey Herms," Blaise said, walking into her room.

"Hey," she said, not looking up from her book.

"Are you any good at glamours?"

"Glamours?" she asked. "What do you need a glamour for? Don't think you're pretty enough?" she laughed, then looked up. A big bruise was formed across Blaise's left eye. "What happened?" She got up and rushed over to him.

"Ah, it was nothing. Just a little misunderstanding. Can you fix it?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. But why not go to the hospital wing? I'm sure you'd have fun charming the nurses there."

"Yeah, well it happened at the hospital wing. One of my players got hurt, and I took him up there, and my eye met someone's fist."

Hermione took out her wand and murmured a few words, causing the bruise but not the pain to go away. "Who's fist?"

"No one's, it's not important. Forget about it. Hey, thanks, now I'm all good looking again," he smiled weakly.

"Tell me," she demanded.

"No."

"Wait, the hospital wing? Did you see Draco? Did you see Narcissa? Blaise, you swore to me you wouldn't let anyone know you know!"

"Calm down, I was nowhere near Narcissa. No one has any reason to believe that I know anything about her sickness."

"Then tell me what happened," she tapped her foot.

"No."

The next thing he knew, Blaise was slammed against the couch, and Hermione was straddling him. "Hermione, this is-"

"Immobilous!" she cast, then said a few more words as she pressed her forehead to his. She entered his memory.

"_Dude, man, you okay?" Blaise rushed over to the injured fourth year._

"_Yeah, man, I'm fine." He tried to stand, but fell back down._

"_No, you're not, let's get you to the hospital wing. Kovach, run things for me here while I take Thomas to get fixed up."_

Hermione fast-forwarded the memories until they got to the hospital wing. She quickly watched the two talking to a nurse, the administration of Skelegrow, and Blaise turning to leave the room. Wait, was that Draco?

"_What are you doing here?" Draco asked._

"_Thomas got hurt at practice, I was just bringing him to the nurses. They're all kinds of hot, huh?"_

"_Don't talk to me. You have no right to."_

"_You asked. Besides, I have every right to, you're my best friend."_

"_Not anymore," Draco crossed his arms. "Not after you seduced Hermione away from me."_

"_I didn't seduce her! It was just a friendly kiss after a friendly dance, Drake! You know me, you know how I am, always have to be the center of attention. It's probably some psychological thing from my parents sucking, or something."_

"_I was there. I saw you two and that stupid Weasley owl together on the couch, under blankets."_

"_Hermione explained that to you, Draco. Nothing happened."_

"_I SAW you. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."_

"_Then you must have noticed when she got up, she was fully clothed."_

_Draco narrowed his eyes and was silent for a moment. Then, "I don't care about that filthy mudblood anymore, and I don't care about you."_

_Blaise gasped. "How can you call her that? You know she's not a mudblood any more."_

"_She's filthy. I never want to see her again, and if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from me, too."_

"_Stay away, Drake? You're my best friend. You know Hermione was telling you the truth, and you know I'm telling you the truth. I don't know what's going on with you, man," Blaise lied, "but you better get over it and get her back, before she finds someone else. Practically every guy in this school wants her after what she did for the Dark Lord."_

"_Yeah, including you." Draco sneered._

"_Dude, I do NOT want her. I will never want her. I want Lavendar back, but you've done a damn fine job of making sure THAT doesn't happen, now, haven't you?" Blaise stared him down._

"_She doesn't deserve someone who would cheat on her with his best friend's girl."_

"_I didn't cheat on her. And Hermione didn't cheat on you. Get over yourself and believe that."_

"_I believe what I saw," Draco replied._

"_Well then you're fucking blind, because you got one hell of a girl in torment over this bullshit."_

"_She deserves it, after what she did."_

"_She didn't DO anything!" Blaise yelled. "You know what, man? Fuck you. If you're too full of yourself to see that you're fucking up your life, then I don't even want to be your friend anymore. I hope Hermione does move on. I hope she finds someone that will treat her right, with the respect that she deserves. She sure as hell deserves better than you," he practically spat. _

_With that, Draco punched him squarely in the eye. Blaise just stood, staring at him for a moment, then turned on his heel and left._

Back in the present, Hermione lifted her forehead from Blaise's. They were both sweaty and panting. That spell took a lot of power, magic and concentration.

"How the hell did you do that?" Blaise asked between pants. "What the fuck was that?"

"It's simple," Hermione said, going back to her side of the couch. "Well, sorta. Takes a lot out of you, but it's easy to learn. I'll show you sometime," she said as she was trying to get her breath back.

With impeccable timing, Draco's voice entered the room. "Couldn't wait to get back to her, could you Blaise? Couldn't wait to fuck my girlfriend?" He crossed his arms as he stood in the doorway.

"Fuck, not again," Blaise mumbled, putting his head in his hands, careful of the bruise.

"In case you didn't notice, we ARE both fully clothed, AGAIN," Hermione stated, crossing her own arms. "Nothing happened between us, not that you'd care to hear the truth."

"I can see the truth. It's sweating all over you."

"Fuck you, Draco Malfoy," Hermione spat. "I've had just about enough of this bullshit. I've spent the past two days apologizing for something that didn't even happen, and I'm fucking sick of it. Take your arrogance and get the hell out of my room. And don't bother coming back until you're willing to admit that you were wrong, and apologize to both Blaise and myself."

With that, he left the room.

"What the hell just happened? Again?" Blaise asked, shocked.

"I don't even care at this point." Hermione flopped down on a chair opposite the damned couch. "Got any of that weed on you?"

"Oh yeah," Blaise said sarcastically. "I keep it in my practice robes," he rolled his eyes, then winced at the pain it caused from his hidden bruise.

Hermione stood up, her breath finally caught up with her, and pulled a bottle out of a cupboard. Uncapping it, she took several long swigs then sat next to Blaise, passing it to him. Taking his time with it, he downed a few gulps.

"I'm sick of this shit, Hermione. Draco thinks he's the freaking almighty, can go around fucking with people's emotions. Not only did he fuck up his own life, but now yours, mine and Lav's."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yeah, and it scares the hell out of me." He leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "I've never really cared about someone before. I guess this is what I get."

"Get for what?"

"Karma. It's a real bitch."

"Karma?" Hermione asked quizzically, looking at him.

He lifted his head from the back of the couch to return her gaze. "You know, what goes around comes around."

"I KNOW what karma is, dumbass. I mean, what do you think you did to deserve it?"

"Please, Hermione. Look at my track record. I only keep girls around until they bore me. I kept Parvati, for what, three days?"

"Parvati?" Hermione shrieked.

"She was your roommate, are you seriously going to tell me you didn't know about it?"

"Well I guess I didn't really pay much attention. I barely even . . . never mind. So you think Parvati is the reason you're hurting now?"

"Not just her. Look at what I did to Pansy. Once it didn't have to be a secret anymore, I ditched her like yesterday's bong water."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Pansy? Where is she, anyway?"

"You said you wanted her gone," he stated simply.

"Yeah, but where is she?"

"She got sent to Durmstrang. She things she's on a covert mission for Moldy Voldy, but he really just sent her to make you happy."

"He sent her away for me?" Hermione asked, touched.

"Hell yeah, he'd do anything for you. You helped him fulfill the prophecy. Without you, he'd probably still be in hiding, trying to come up with a way to find Potter. Plus, he'd still be all old and decrepit if it weren't for you."

"What do you mean?"

"How do you think he's so young looking now? Potter's blood, that's how."

"Ew, he drinks Potter's blood?"

"Yeah, had it made into a serum," Blaise said, taking another drink. "I guess it's some kind of reverse aging potion, or some shit."

"That is so fucked up," Hermione said.

"No shit. He says he's all hot now, so he can go looking for a chick to give him an heir."

Hermione burst out laughing. "Damn, I never did tell you about that, did I?"

"Tell me about what?" Blaise asked, mildly interested.

"Lucius suggested he get with Bellatrix!"

"Bellatrix?!" Blaise snorted, expelling some of the liquid he'd been trying to swallow. "What the fuck?"

"I know! Vold said something to Lucius like, 'Are you crazy? She's fuckin' nuts!' It was classic!"

"What I wouldn't give to have been there!" Blaise laughed.

"Oh yeah?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. "What WOULD you give?"

"What do you mean?" Blaise asked, warily.

"I can show you. Come on!" She repositioned herself next to him and motioned for him to pull out his wand. "I'll teach you that spell right now."

"Do I have to straddle you?" he asked cautiously.

"No!" she laughed. "And you don't have to immobilize me, either."

"Then why did you do it to me?"

"Because I was forcing you. I'll be a willing participant. Okay, so you have to concentrate, clear your mind of everything except what you want to see from me, and -"

"Wait, are we gonna get all hot and sweaty again?" he asked.

"No," she laughed. "It's just a short memory, a minute or two tops. I promise, it won't exert you. Now come on, do it!"

Several minutes later, they were both rolling with laughter.

"Fuck, man, that was priceless! I can't believe Lucius said that! That man is one of the smartest guys I know, but he's got absolutely NO common sense!"

"I know! He can run a whole damn school and his merry band of Death Eaters, but can't think about what he says before he says it! That's why I always end up writing his speeches and stuff."

Still howling with laughter, Blaise collapsed back on the couch. "Accio bottle," he called, practically draining it.

"Hey, save some for me!"

"No way, get your own bottle!"

"That IS my bottle, dumbass!" Hermione laughed.

"Oh yeah," he said, handing it back to her.

"Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically, emptying the last few drops into her mouth, then tossing the bottle into the fireplace. "We need more." They didn't, as they were clearly drunk already.

"So call a house elf. Unless you're still into SPEW or whatever," he grinned.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I was wrong. House elves DO belong here to serve us. Where the hell is one when you need it?"

"Duh, you have to call them."

"Oh yeah," she said, a bit tipsy. "ELF!!!" she bellowed.

With a pop, an elf appeared. "Yes'm?" it asked timidly.

"Bring us some liquor."

"And pizza," Blaise added.

"Yes, sirs, right away."

"Sirs? That elf is fucking stupid." Hermione hugged a pillow to herself as she waited. A few seconds later, the small elf reappeared with a steaming pizza and at least five different kinds of liquor. "Much better. That will be all," she said to it. It turned to Blaise, as if asking if he needed anything else. He shook his head and it disappeared.

"Hermione?" he asked. "Why do we always get drunk together?"

"Because you've corrupted me," she said through a mouthful of food.

"Me? I corrupted you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, you! I was _so_ not a drinker before I started hanging around with you. And I've only gotten high when I was with you, too, so therefore, you ARE a corruptor!"

Blaise realized he wasn't really hungry and tossed his half-eaten slice down on the table, and uncorked another bottle. "Maybe we shoulda asked that elf for some glasses."

"Who needs glasses? Just a waste of time, what with all the pouring and such." Hermione was in a pretty good mood now, her debacle with Draco almost forgotten. Almost. "Blaise?"

"Yeah?"

"I-" she trailed off.

"What, Herm?" he coaxed.

"Nothing." They sat in silence for a moment, only broken by the sounds of them swallowing the alcohol. Hermione slouched down into the couch a bit more.

Making himself more comfortable, too, Blaise reclined a bit. He sat down the bottle and flopped his head back and arms out, looking at the ceiling again, as Hermione was scrunched within herself, staring at a spot on the couch. When Blaise's hand landed on that spot, she reached out for him. Gently caressing his hand, she said, "It's all gonna be okay."

"Yeah," he said, though it didn't sound like he agreed.

"It will be, I promise, Blaise."

"You promise?" he turned to her, looking solemn.

"Yeah."

"Herm?"

"Mmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Blaise."

"Er, not like, uh, THAT, but you know,. I just...love you."

She smiled weakly. "I know what you mean." If Draco would have walked in at that moment, she wouldn't have even pulled away from Blaise this time. Something special had formed between her and Blaise in the somewhat short time since she'd become a Death Eater. Had she really only met him a couple months ago? Had she really ever thought he was a callous bastard? Well, now was all that mattered, and right now, Blaise was her best friend.

Sleepily, he held out his arm, and she nuzzled next to him. After several minutes, she said, "Blaise?"

"Hmm?" he asked groggily.

"You wanna stay the night with me?"

But he was already asleep.

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! We had a really bad storm, and I was away from home for 8 days! It sucked! If you wanna read about it, go to my profile and then to my message board that's linked there, and you can find it on that site under General, then the title, This ramble will knock your socks off! _

_A/N2: I HAD this chapter ALL written out, and it was perfect, but then I accidentally exited without saving, and I'm really pissed about it! So this is my second try at it, and I added a few new things, but there was lots of stuff in the previous version that I couldn't recreate, so I hope you guys like this. I know it's short, but as I've said, being away from home sucked, then getting everything cleaned and put away, etc was a real bitch. And even though I've been home since Friday night, I'm still exhausted! I had the urge to write, so I did. Imagine my ire when it got erased! You'd think I'd learn, since this has happened to me at least four times! Anyways, hope you enjoyed it, and please leave me a review! _

btw, this is NOT going to become a Hermione/Blaise fic. I just love Blaise to pieces, and I'm mad at Draco right now. Don't ask!


	27. 27

It was a sad, winter day at Malfoy Manor. Lucius, of course, could not pull himself together. The service had been beautiful. Narcissa was laid to rest in the family cemetery on the grounds. Hermione looked on, Blaise at her side, as the black marble coffin was lowered into the ground. Waiting her turn after the family, Hermione tossed a white rose bud onto the casket, tears streaming down her face, and turned into Blaise's waiting arms. This was not a time to break down. Lucius needed her, and even though he wouldn't admit it, Draco needed her, too. She had to get inside and see to the house elves.

Not that they needed and help or instruction, but she felt that if she didn't DO something, she'd be just as lost as Lucius. During the months since her life-change, Hermione had grown very close to Narcissa. A small smile crept itself across her tear-stained face as she remembered that day last summer that she and Narcissa were talking near the greenhouses, and Narcissa insisted she go on The Potion. Another teardrop escaped as she thought back to the day, not so long ago, in the hospital, when Narcissa was upset that she'd never see her grandchildren. She knew Narcissa understood. It just wasn't the right time for them to become parents. Even though the Dark Lord was back in power, and most of the Order members had been disposed of, it was still wartime, and there were many battles yet to be fought.

Taking a casserole dish from the kitchens to the ball room, Hermione couldn't help but to feel a terrible loss. Even though she didn't remember, she knew she had a mother that she'd loved very much, but Narcissa had become her mother, too, and she DID remember her.

"Let me take that from you," Blaise said, holding out his hands.

"Thanks," she said blankly. "I know what you're thinking, but my SPEW days are not back. I just need to keep busy."

Setting down the dish, Blaise reached for her and hugged her tight. "I know, honey." She cried into his shoulder. "Have you seen Draco?" he asked quietly.

"No. He disappeared after the service. He's probably hiding out in one of his many rooms."

"Go to him."

Hermione pulled back. "He won't see me. He's refused to even look at me."

"But he needs you, and the sooner he realizes that, the sooner you can help him cope." He pulled out of the embrace and gently pushed her towards the stairs.

"But, I-" Hermione protested, "I wouldn't even know where to look! This house has like, a million rooms, plenty of which I'm sure are Draco's. I-" Blaise shushed her, placing a finger to her lips.

"I have an idea as to where he may be. Follow me."

Hermione nodded and silently followed. This house was huge! After winding through what seemed like a maze for at least ten minutes, they came to a door carved with, what else, snakes. Not even knocking, Blaise entered. The room was empty.

"Blaise, I told you-"

"Shh." He continued leading her inside, toward the fireplace. Upon closer inspection, Hermione saw that there was a door, hidden within the carvings on the wall. "Tap it once with your wand and say 'Draconian.'"

Hermione stared at the wall for a moment, then turned back to Blaise, but he was gone. She took a deep breath, and did as she was instructed. The wall seemed to crumble in front of her as it faded away to reveal a dark room.

"Whoever you are, get out!" Draco yelled.

"No," Hermione said. In the darkness, she thought she saw his head whip around at the sound of her voice. Hermione never was one to follow instructions unless she saw fit, and right now, she didn't see fit. Carefully walking into the room, she headed for the sounds of his ill-disguised crying. Wordlessly, she sat down next to him, not daring to touch him yet.

"Turner's dead."

"The healer?" she asked.

"It was his fault. If he had admitted he didn't know what the hell he was doing, she'd still be here." He choked back a sob. Hermione reached for him then, and he didn't pull away. She pulled his upper body into her lap, and stroked his hair lovingly as he let it all out. His body convulsed in sobs against her, and the tears were falling freely from her eyes now, too.

"She didn't hurt, though, Draco. Those potions made sure of it."

"She did hurt. Just not physically." His tears were slowing, and his breath was not so ragged anymore, but he made no move to get away from Hermione.

"She loved you so much, Draco. Not a single day passed by that she didn't think about you, and hope for your happiness. I know you don't want to hear it, Draco, but she wouldn't want you to be so upset like this. She had a great life, with you and your dad. She was so happy. I never met anyone as happy as she was. And you were the sunlight in her life. You made her life worth living. You were her entire reason she was even born."

"Did she tell you that?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Yes, she did. She told me a lot of things while we were in Spain. She told me how you would go out with your dad to buy her birthday presents, and spend as much money as Lucius would allow you, and still come home and make her something with your own hands. She kept them, too."

"After all these years?" he asked.

"She told me where I could find them. Do you want to go see them?"

Draco nodded, and stood up. Shocking Hermione, he held out a hand to help her up. Exiting the rooms, they still held hands.

"Um," she said quietly, "you'll have to take me to her drawing room. I don't know how to get there."

They wandered through the labyrinth again, but only for about five minutes this time. Draco came to a halt outside a white door. He looked at it for a few moments before opening it and leading Hermione inside. She took a moment to orient herself physically with the room Narcissa had told her about. Somehow, without her, it didn't seem so beautiful. The plush rugs beneath their feet didn't feel so lavish and the sunlight streaming through the window didn't seem as bright. There was a huge void in the world now, where Narcissa had once lived. Hermione walked over to the desk near the window, and pulled down the foldout lid. Knowing right where it was, she gingerly took out a red velvet box. She turned around and saw that Draco had sat down on one of the couches, and she went to sit next to him.

"It's locked," she said softly. "Should I-"

"No," he said, taking it from her. He tapped his wand against it and said, "Openius Upious." The lid lifted, and the contents were shroud in silk material. "I made this box for her, too. I even wrote the spell myself, when I was three."

"You knew magic at three?"

"Please. Like wizarding laws ever applied to Malfoy's." He gently lifted the first layer of silk, and Hermione made to stand up. She wasn't sure she should be seeing this. Draco's arm darted out, grabbing her arm, and she settled back down. Keeping his hand on her, he riffled through the contents with the other. He pulled out a rock necklace, much like the macaroni necklace Hermione had made for her own mother, though she didn't really remember. "I magically threaded these together. I found the rocks in her rose garden." He fingered the largest stone, and then pocketed it. Then he pulled out a dried white rose. "I picked this from her garden, too. She loved plants of all kinds. Most of what she grew was for potions, but the roses held no magical properties. 'Some things are meant for magic, but some just for beauty,' she said. 'They're hear for pleasure, not practicality,' though I didn't know what practicality meant then. When I brought this to her, she told me how much she loved it, but that I should never pick her roses again. I said to her, 'I won't, Mommy, 'cause this rose bit me!' She looked at the blood on my fingers and fixed me right up." He paused for a few moments. "I guess this time, it can't be fixed right up."

He carefully replaced the rose, and began to lift another cloth, but stopped. He closed the box and put it on the table. A ragged sigh escaped his lips. "I'm sorry."

Hermione shook her head, holding back tears. "Don't-"

"No, I'm sorry," he interrupted. "I know you can never take me back after the horrible things I said about and to you, but just know that I regret them, Hermione."

She looked into his gray eyes and said, "I do want you back, Draco. Forever."

He leaned for her, and gently kissed her lips, unshed tears again filling his eyes. "Fix me, Hermione. Fix me up."

---

Draco had finally fallen into a restless sleep on his mother's couch. Hermione conjured an afghan to cover him, and quietly slipped out the door. She needed to check on Lucius. Lord knows the man hadn't shown any emotion since they took Narcissa's body from the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Winding her way through the not so few people that hadn't left yet, she saw Blaise across the room. He was talking to Lavendar. It looked like maybe they were getting back together, too. Hermione allowed herself a small smile and continued looking for Lucius.

"Avery," she said, walking up to the tall Death Eater.

"Hermione, where's Draco?" he asked concernedly.

"He fell asleep, finally. Could you direct me to Lucius?"

"He's out in the garden," Avery said sadly. "The one with the-"

"Roses?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Avery half-smiled. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. Excuse me." Hermione wove her way through the house, outside. She saw Lucius sitting on a marble bench amid the rose bushes. Wordlessly, she slid in the seat next to him and wrapped her arms around him. He was still. No emotions.

"Lucius?" she asked quietly. "Lucius, can I get you anything?"

Silence. Hermione sat with him, though he was unresponsive, she didn't think he needed to be alone. The sun had gone down, and moonbeams were filling the garden. Hermione looked around. Most of the plants here were pale colors, whites, creams and light purples, with several dark blues.

"She loved this place," Lucius finally spoke. "She loved coming out here in the dark, watching the moonlight reflect of the flowers. Said the effect reminded her of Draco's hair. Do you see that shrub over there?" He pointed near a fountain. The plant was beautiful, but didn't fit in with the rest of the garden. It was a cheery looking plant, yellow blooms with huge red centers. Hermione nodded, and Lucius continued. "Beneath that plant is Damien."

"Damien?" she asked softly.

"Our first child."

Hermione held back a gasp. Draco never said anything about a brother!

"He wouldn't have, would he, seeing as how he didn't know."

"You and Narcissa had another son?"

"He was born two years before Draco. He was so beautiful. He had strawberry blond hair. Never did quite figure out how he managed to get the red, as we're both so fair-haired. But he was ours. I never doubted that. No reason to."

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"He was two. Narcissa was pregnant with Draco. She'd just found out. Darien went with my father to the circus. When they didn't come home, we were frantic. We searched all over. When the news finally came, we were devastated. They'd been caught in the crossfire of the good and evil sides. When I saw my little boy's mangled body, I vowed right then and there to avenge them."

"And you did," she said. It wasn't a question, she knew.

"And immediately thereafter, I joined ranks with Voldemort. It was the Order that killed Damien and my father."

"The Order?" this time she gasped.

"Father was a Death Eater, and Damien was apparently in the way. At least he got to see the circus before he.." Lucius trailed off. Before she could ask, Lucius said, "No, Draco doesn't know. We never found the right time to tell him. Those seven months between the death of our son, and the birth of our next son, were pure hell. I was out most of the time, with Avery and the others. I'd left Narcissa to deal with the pregnancy herself. It was too hard. I'm sure I didn't make it very easy on her, either. When I'd come home late at night, she'd already be asleep, and in the garden already by time I woke up. We didn't talk very much those seven months. But then, when Draco was born early, and we almost lost him, we re-evaluated ourselves. We made Draco the center of our universe. We gave him everything he wanted, everything we couldn't give to Damien. Some say we spoiled the child, and that it was wrong, but he was so tiny, in the hospital. There was no way we could lose another son, we'd never survive. The pregnancy was hard, but from the moment Narcissa's water broke, we knew we loved that little boy, and although he couldn't take Damien's place, and we'd never want him to, he showed us that life was really worth living. The void was still there, but it was less huge, less consuming. Not a day went by that we didn't think about Damien, but we were afraid that if Draco knew about him, he would think of himself as a consolation prize. We didn't want that for him, because he WASN'T a consolation prize. He didn't replace Damien, but he made life a little easier for us to live."

"Why didn't you place Narcissa next to Damien?"

"Draco would have asked questions. She's in the plot with our parents. Maybe we should have put Damien there, too, but he loved this garden as much as Narcissa did." During this whole revelation, Lucius did not allow himself to cry. "Don't tell Draco about Damien. Maybe someday..."

Hermione got up from the bench and walked over to the amazingly vibrant flower. She kneeled down, and inhaled the sweet fragrance. Surprisingly, it smelled like a baby, that lotion and powdery smell that can't be replicated. A petal drifted from the plant and fell to the ground. Hermione carefully picked it up, and brought it to Lucius. Sitting on her knees before Lucius, Hermione took his hand in hers, and uncurled his clenched fists. She tenderly placed the petal in his palm and closed his fingers again over it. Lucius brought the fist to his lips, and the tears finally came.

Suddenly, a gust of wind surrounded them. They both looked up, and couldn't believe what they saw before them. A willowy, wispy figure formed before them, holding something. The breeze blew the form's hair away, and when they saw Narcissa looking back at them, they gasped.

"Narcissa!" Lucius whispered. Hermione stumbled backwards, away from Lucius. She watched in awe as Narcissa's spirt stepped forward. Straining her eyes to the shadowy apparition, she saw that what Narcissa held was...Damien.

"We're together again, Lucius. We're together. I'm with Damien now, but you must stay behind, and be with Draco. There are great things in store for him, and he'll need you by his side. Don't grieve for me, Lucius. I'm at peace; we're at peace." With that, she stepped backwards, and Narcissa and Damien faded into the night.

"Narcissa!" Lucius cried, rising. "No!"

Finding her feet, Hermione stood. Still unable to comprehend what had just happened, she turned to Lucius. Her eyes wide, she stayed silent.

Lucius crumbled to the ground, his fist still clenched around the petal. He sobbed uncontrollably. Hermione went to him, placed a hand on his shoulder. He jerked away. "Leave me, Hermione. Leave me alone."

Nodding, she took several steps backward, then turned and broke into a run. She had to process this. She had to figure out what just happened. She couldn't talk to Draco about it, not yet anyway. On the patio now, she collided with someone. Thank God it was Blaise! But he was with Lavendar.

"Hermione," Lav said. She pulled her best friend into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry for everything! I didn't believe it, not in my heart. I knew you'd never betray Draco, and especially not with his best friend, and not with MY boyfriend! Please, Hermione, can we go back to the way things were?" She pulled back, and noticed Hermione's wan complexion. "Hermione, what is it?"

Hermione looked over to Blaise. Lav noticed, and said, "Go on, you guys go talk. I don't know what happened between you guys, but it seems you got really close during the whole ordeal. I'll go check on Draco."

"Thanks," Hermione whispered, still clammy and distraught about what had happened. When Lav was gone, she grabbed Blaise by the cloak and they ran inside. It was hard finding an unoccupied room, but they managed.

"Hermione, what the hell is going on? Is everything okay with Draco? We saw him sleeping in his mom's room."

Hermione didn't respond. She was searching the room for something, anything to- Finally, her eyes settled upon a sword on the wall over a fireplace. She pulled it from its post and sliced her forearm, and handed the sword to Blaise. He sliced his own arm, and they pressed the wounds together, repeating the blood oath. Then, "Hermione, what is it? What happened?"

Hermione told Blaise everything except about Damien. That was not her secret to tell, not even to Blaise, whom she now trusted with her life.

"Whoa," Blaise said, falling onto the floor. They hadn't sealed their wounds, and with the news combined with the blood loss, he was feeling light headed. Noticing, Hermione finally cast healing and the cleaning spells. She slumped onto the floor next to him. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I-"

"She doesn't have to. She came to me, too," Draco said from the doorway, Lav behind him.

"Draco!" Hermione cried, getting up and flinging herself into his arms. She wondered if Narcissa had told him about Damien, but then realized she wouldn't have. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, surprisingly. Are you?"

"I, I think I'm all right." She didn't release her grip on him, and he nestled his face into her hair, his fists balling around the strands.

Lav went to Blaise, wondering what happened, but not asking. It wasn't her secret to know. She didn't know what happened with Draco, either, but he was eerily calm when she found him.

"I need to go find Dad," Draco said quietly.

"Draco, you called him 'Dad.' You always call him 'Father.'"

"I know, but things are different now. Come with me." She nodded, and they left. They found Lucius in the garden still, in a crumpled heap where Narcissa had left him.

"Dad?" Draco asked cautiously.

Lucius' head snapped up. He pulled himself together and stood. Draco went to him, and they hugged tightly. "She was here," Lucius whispered. "She was here."

"I know, Dad. I saw her, too."

"Did she-" Lucius asked, pulling away.

"She told me she's okay. To look after you. That we needed to stick around here for a while. Dad, what was she holding in her arms?"

"It . . . I don't know," Lucius lied. "I don't know."


	28. 28

"Lucius, I really don't think I can do this! I can't lie to Draco!"

"You aren't lying to Draco! You're just not telling him."

"That's the same as lying!" Hermione slammed her fists on the desk in Lucius' study.

Lucius inhaled deeply. "I know it's a lot to ask, Hermione, but keeping that secret was not your decision. Narcissa-" he hesitated at saying her name, "-and I decided on this. It was OUR decision. She wouldn't have appeared to you if she didn't think you'd respect our wishes."

"She didn't know you told me!" Hermione screamed. "She didn't say anything about him, not so that I'd be able to tell what she meant, if you hadn't already told me! I am not doing this, I am NOT lying to Draco!"

"He doesn't need to know about Damien!" Lucius roared, standing up quickly and upending the desk.

"Who's Damien?" Draco asked from the doorway.

Lucius' eyes widened, and Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell him, Lucius. You tell him, or I will."

"Tell me what?" Draco asked. His eyes were still a bit puffy and his clothes were rumpled. Apparently, the sleep he had gotten was not a sound sleep, but a restless one. "What have you decided I can't know?"

Lucius tried to gather himself. He shook his head. "It's nothing. Nothing. Don't worry about it. Just go back to your room. Hermione and I have some things to finish up here."

"It's not nothing," she said firmly. "He has a right to know."

"Dammit, know what? Whatever it is, Dad, Hermione will tell me. We don't keep secrets anymore."

"It's none of your damn business!" Lucius yelled.

"None of his business? None of his business?" Hermione yelled. "How the hell do you figure that? It is completely his business! He deserves to know he's not the only-"

"Hermione, bite your tongue," Lucius said threateningly. He narrowed his eyes at her and entered her mind. 'Shut up.'

"No!" she screamed aloud. "Get out of my head, and tell your son what he needs to know!"

Lucius started for Hermione, but in a flash, Draco was between them. "Don't you dare touch her!"

"Don't you dare put yourself between us, boy!" Lucius said. "This is between us. Step aside."

"Tell him!" Hermione screamed. "Tell him right now, or I will!" Then softer, "Don't you think he should hear it from you, rather than from me? He WILL know by the end of the night, Lucius. You tell him."

Lucius knew he was defeated. He fell into a chair and began to sob. "I can't do this. I can't tell him. I promised her. We promised each other."

"Dad?" Draco asked cautiously. "Dad, what is it? Do you want Hermione to tell me instead?"

"Technically," she spoke up, "you wouldn't be breaking your promise to Narcissa if I told him."

"The promise will still be broken."

"But not by you," she said softly.

Lucius looked up at her. "There's no way I'll be able to talk you out of this, is there?"

She shook her head sadly.

"Go on then."

"Draco, I think you better sit down."

Draco looked from Hermione to his father. Lucius was quietly weeping. Uneasily, he sat down on a leather sofa. He looked at Hermione, who looked at Lucius. His head was in his hands now, but he nodded for her to begin.

"Draco, I don't really know how to tell you this." She crossed the room to him and knelt in front of him, taking his hands in hers. "Draco, what you saw in your mom's arms... Draco, that was your brother."

Draco leaned back. "Brother? Was Mum pregnant? Why didn't she tell me?"

"She was pregnant, Draco," Hermione said, "but not now. Draco, she was pregnant before you. She and your dad had another baby. He would be 20 now, if he'd lived."

"Twenty? What the fuck are you saying, Hermione?" Draco was understandable bewildered.

"Draco," she said, stroking the backs of his hands, "his name was Damien. He was born three years before you. He...he and your grandfather, they died at the same time."

"Wait a minutes, Granddad was killed by the Order, he-"

"Yes. They got Damien, too."

Draco blinked and stared at her. Hermione would have thought someone stupefied him if she didn't know any better. "Draco?" she asked. "Draco, are you okay?"

After several minutes of silence, "Well that's fucking it, then."

"What's it?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

"One member of the Order of the Phoenix remains. But not for long." Draco brandished his wand and spun on his heel, exiting the room. Hermione looked to Lucius, who had looked up when Draco finally spoke. His eyes were wide, not at Draco's intention of revenge, but because he was shocked by his son's reaction to the news.

"I told you he wouldn't think of himself as a replacement child for Damien," Hermione said softly, then left the room to find Draco.

He was in his bedroom, ransacking the place looking for something. "Where the hell is it?"

"Where is what?" Hermione asked.

"I know I put it in here." Several books and quills emerged from the closet he was searching through.

"Baby, what are you looking for, so I can help you find it?"

"My damn book on giants! Curses don't affect them the same as humans. Don't you remember last year when all those aurors hit him with stunning spells and he just kept running?"

Hermione thought back to her astronomy exam. She'd seen Hagrid running off with a limp Fang, right after McGonnagal was hit by several spells at a time and was knocked out for a while.

"Well I'm sure Avada Kedavra works just the same."

"Avada Kedavra is too good for this. I need to make sure he suffers for what he did. That'd just be putting an immediate end to his life. I want to see him writhe and scream and beg for it to all end."

"You don't even know how to find him!" Hermione said. "Last I knew, he was in the Forbidden Forest with his stupid brother, and we've been all through the grounds, and there's no sign of him. How are we going to find him?"

"WE aren't. You're staying here."

"The hell I am. You know I've never liked that moron Hagrid, and I'll be glad to see an end to him. Besides, he'd never hurt me in a million years. Not even if he did know that I'm a death eater now. He'd think I'd been brainwashed or something, that he could save me."

"Yeah, well we've already used that angle once, we're not using it again. Although it was great to kill Lupin that way."

"It sure was. It was so... sexy." Hermione sauntered up to Draco and ran her hand along his arm.

"Oh, no, missy. Don't try to distract me now. I know it's been a while, but I'm on a mission. We'll 'celebrate' when I get back."

"Back from where?" Blaise and Lavendar were standing in the doorway, holding hands.

"Draco's going to kill Hagrid."

"Oooh!" squealed Lavendar. "Can I come?"

"NO!" Blaise and Draco said.

"You guys get to have all the fun!" Lav pretended to pout. "But while you're gone, Hermione and I can go shopping!"

"I don't want to go shopping! I want to go with Draco."

"He won't need you, I'm going with him," Blaise said. Draco nodded, and continued looking for his book.

Hermione sighed, and went over to his desk. She pilfered through a few stacks of books and papers and pulled out the one he was looking for. She tossed it on the bed and said, "There. Now I don't care what you say, I AM going with you. There's nothing you can say or do to stop me."

Draco looked into her eyes. He knew there'd be no stopping her. "Fine."

"Hey, if she gets to go, I wanna go, too!" Lav said.

"Oh shit, this is gonna be more of a three ring circus than a hunting expedition," Blaise said.

"You're tellin' me," Draco added.

Lucius walked in. "Well maybe with me and Lav's dad along, we can keep the theatrics to a minimum." He stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, Avery behind him.

Hermione could tell Draco was torn between elation that his dad actually wanted to avenge Damien's death after all these years of keeping it a secret, and telling the bastard to fuck off for keeping him in the dark. Instead, he settled on grabbing the book, a few potion bottles, his wand and combat boots. "Let's roll."

* * *

Hermione talked everyone into taking a coach instead of apparating, seeing as how Lav wasn't exactly the most adept at the skill. She might end up in Guatemala and then they'd have to track her down. Plus, it gave them time to cool off. Indeed, it was a great thing they were doing, but with emotions so high, it might be best if they were all calm. Hermione filled in the blanks, careful of her words, since no one knew about she and Blaise's blood oaths. Lav punctuated the tense mood with oohs and sobs. 

"How are we going to find them?" she asked no one in particular.

"Them?" asked Lucius. "There's only one, Hagrid."

"Um, hello? How could you have forgotten about Dobby?'

After a moment of silence, "I don't think Dobby is a member, but no matter, we'll take care of him," Hermione said as they approached the general area of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. "I'll have to go in alone. I still can't lead you there. But if the oaf is drunk, which he always is, I'll be able to draw him into the open." She stepped out of the coach. "Ready?"


	29. Chapter 29

Hermione said to Draco, "You know, I'm really sick of not being written for. This Mandabella chick is really getting on my nerves."

"I know!" said Draco. "She promised she'd never let this story just go. She promised to end it! I wanna see how we kill Hagrid!"

"I bet Grawp has already killed him," Hermione laughed.

"Yeah, well I'm sick of this," Draco sneered (what else?). "I give up on her! We need someone else to finish this story!"

"Yeah!" Hermione brightened. "Let's make a plea to all her faithful readers! Guys, if you want to be the one to continue this story, submit a sample chapter, or some kind of outline of how you'd write the rest of this fic, and Mandabella will turn it over to you! Just send her an owl at frecksnow at hotmail dot com with 'Ultimate Betrayal' or 'UB' in the subject! And hurry up! We're BORED!"

---------

A/N: sorry. had to make it fit story format to stay within regulations. I'm not against certain characters making a ghostly appearance, but as long as you don't impregnate anyone, unless it's by Voldemort, and you keep my beloved Blaise a scoundrel, I am pretty flexible with what you have to offer. Thanks!


	30. Chapter 30

Even though I haven't updated in years, I keep getting reviews and notices that I've been added to author alerts, and even been put on a couple favorites lists. Thanks, I really appreciate that, guys. A bunch of crap in my life forced me to stop writing, and I think things might finally be calming down. Next week is finals week at school (Oh yeah, I'm in college now, college at 29, it's scary), and once that is out of the way, I have three weeks until Spring quarter starts, and almost two weeks that my son will still be in school, so I am going to TRY and do some more writing. I can't make promises. Besides, most of you guys gave up on me long, long ago, right Lauren? If I manage to get the rest of my HP fic written, I have some ideas for some other topics, and some collaborations with a friend that we've been talking about for years, so maybe we'll work on those. Though I doubt it, because she has a bf now, but we'll see… Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that I manage to get some inspiration while I'm sitting at home alone for six hours a day, and that I also manage to get the Christmas presents wrapped before my rugrat finds them in my garage!!! :) Keep the faith!


	31. Chapter 31

Hermione woke up to a pounding at the door. When had she fallen asleep? Groggily, she got up off the couch and stumbled to the door. Where was she? This looked like her old apartment, but…

The door flung open just as she was reaching for the doorknob. It was Josh Miller. Wait, how did she know that? Who is this guy? What the hell is going on?

"Aren't you ready yet? It's almost ten!"

"Ready for what?"

"Um, that thing we call work. You know, where they pay us to perform menial tasks for practically no money. What is wrong with you?"

Good question, Hermione thought to herself. What is wrong with me? Last thing I can remember is being in the coach with Draco and… Draco! Wait, Draco? Draco Malfoy? Why was I was with him?

"Hey, are you okay?" Josh asked, concerned. "Are you drunk? Are you high? Are you going to just stand there?"

"I, um, I think I need to sit down." Hermione went back to the couch and pulled her knees up, wrapping a quilt around herself. So many things were running through her head. She knew who she was, she knew who Josh was. She knew Draco was but couldn't put her finger on it. It was like she was stuck in that moment between dreaming and waking up and couldn't get to either location. She closed her eyes and thought hard.

First off, where was she? In her apartment. That seemed to be true. Sorta. Who was this guy? Josh Miller. Her friend, her coworker, her ride to work while her car was in the shop. Wait, why did she have a car? Why did she have a job? What _was_ her job? She rolled burritos at a fast food place. Why did she roll burritos? Isn't she smart? Yes, she's smart, smarter than anyone else she went to school with. So why was she working in a restaurant? Oh yeah, because she quit college when she… When she what? When she got into an accident after the Quidditch match and … Quidditch? Oh yeah, she's a witch. Then why does she need college? Shouldn't she be working for the Ministry or something? Oh… no. She was shunned from the magical world after the accident that took Ginny's life. Ginny? Oh yeah, that bitch who stole Harry from her… That's why everyone thought the accident wasn't really an accident. And despite her proving otherwise, they still all hated her. So she had to pretend to be a Muggle. Her parents wouldn't even talk to her anymore after this second accident that put her car in the shop and broke the leg of her neighbor Stacie, who didn't like Hermione to begin with. They all thought she exhibited patterns of hurting those whom she didn't like. So she had no one but Josh. Josh who was looking at her like she was insane. Wait, did she just say all that aloud?

"Hermione, I think it's time for you to take your meds," he said as he picked up her prescription bottles from her mantle. "It looks like you haven't had them for a while…"

She took the bottles he handed her. Yeah, they were mostly full, but the filling date said she'd had them for over three weeks. She uncapped the bottles and swallowed a pill from each as Josh handed her the cup of cold coffee she must have left on the table last night. She started feeling better, but knew the pills couldn't be kicking in that fast. Maybe she really_ was_ a little psycho.

Josh was rummaging through all the clutter on the apartment floor and found Hermione's work shirt. He picked it up and sniffed it. "It's not that dirty, you can wear it today and I'll take you to the Laundromat after work, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Hermione said as she stood up and let the quilt fall to the floor. She stumbled over to wear Josh was standing and took the uniform, putting it on over what she was wearing, which was her frog pajamas.

Josh sighed and pulled the work shirt over Hermione's head and steered her toward the bathroom. She didn't object while he washed her face and brushed her hair back into a ponytail. He handed her a toothbrush and as she cleaned her teeth, which she could do properly even in her sleep thanks to her parents, she tried to piece everything together. Magic was dead for her because of Ginny, her parents hated her for trying to kill Stacie, which truly was an accident, she wasn't in Muggle school anymore and she had to go make burritos for almost minimum wage. How had her life gotten so horrible?

Without realizing it, Hermione had finished brushing her teeth and Josh had dressed her in jeans and her work shirt. She had snapped out of her reverie when he pulled her ponytail through the back of her work hat. "Where are your shoes? We need to get going." Hermione nodded and slowly walked out of the bathroom. She tried putting on her sandals but Josh pulled them away from her without a word and handed her some sneakers.

Hermione was trying not to think but couldn't help it. All through her shift at the burrito shop, she kept "remembering" her time spent with Draco and Lav and Narcissa. It had seemed so real. She could remember every detail, not like in a dream where you can remember main points but not the little things, like how Draco smelled or the taste of the disgusting rare steak at every meal.

After work, instead of taking her to the Laundromat like he promised, Josh took Hermione to the hospital. This is where my doctor's office is, she thought. I've been here many times before. But why? Josh was talking to the receptionist while Hermione was pretending to read a magazine. Josh seemed really patient with her. He looked out for her. He must be her new best friend. Pieces of her new life were coming back to her. And unfortunately, it was real. But so was – wait! She lifted up the long sleeve of the thermal she wore under her uniform t-shirt but it wasn't there. She didn't have a Dark Mark, but she did have some scarring and scratch marks. Josh looked over at her and she hurriedly pushed her sleeve back down. He was in front of her in a moment with that concerned look he always seemed to have for her. He rubbed his hands over her forearms and smiled sadly. "The doctor can see you now, even though this isn't your normal appointment. Let's go in, okay?" She didn't think it was weird that he went with her.

Hermione recognized Dr. Ross and started remembering some conversations they'd had. Josh and Dr. Ross were whispering but Hermione just sat down and concentrated on her shoelaces. She didn't remember tying her shoes, Josh must have done that.


End file.
